Greetings from the Amazon

Greetings from the amazon,

 More of the same this week, there isn't a very regular schedule so it's difficult to keep track of when things happened.

Nonetheless we have been teaching families the restored gospel. Yesterday was very eventful. We arose early and I learned I was to give my testimony in church that morning. That went off without a hitch of course. I tried to tell them all that I cared about them and that I love all the members I've met so far and hope to meet them all. I may have grievously insulted their families because a few were crying when I finished, but I have no idea. We walked in the hot sun for a long time until we came to a home we visited before where I learned we were not eating there but at another house, that steak smelled so good!

We literally blazed a trail through the jungle so we wouldn't have to walk a really long distance around on the road to our lunch appointment. We returned to the same house by way of a VW Voyage which is just a cheaply made CC. My companion and the other two missionaries in the district watched a soccer game on a member's TV while I talked to the two recently baptized kids. We were picked up by our ward mission leader and we went to an executive priesthood meeting I think. I couldn't understand a lot of what was being said and we left early and arrived home 2 and half hours early. The other companionship came back and told us that our district leader had lost his streak of baptizing weekly for six months. It’s all good and p-day is fun.

Hope everyone is enjoying themselves, I'm almost out of time here. Hope to have lots of emails to read next week.

Elder Willard

Arrival in Manaus

I arrived in Manaus on the 7th of May after a thoroughly useless orientation for new missionaries in the CTM where it was entirely in Portuguese and by the end of the day I had a splitting headache and it hurt to try to understand it.

After that very long day we were sent to pack our possessions and get ready to leave. We got up at a ridiculous hour to a chocolate bar and a ride to the airport. Sat next to sister Riding on the plane again and a few of the other missionaries were speaking English just because it would be the last opportunity.

We were picked up at the airport by President Klein, his wife and two companionships with two Americans in the midst. We went to their home and ate lunch before we were given some very direct instruction from the president at a stake center nearby. From there we were sent our different ways. I am currently in a small city called Manacapuru around 80 miles south of Manaus. 

A few missionaries were sent to the jungle by bus and boat and one was sent to most easterly part of Acre, another state in the mission, by biplane. It turns out President Klein does not speak English so that was a fun surprise. It is so hot here all the time and the humidity makes you sweat, but it does not evaporate ever. In our apartment there is no hot water but that is totally okay with me. The weird thing is that the bathroom is still stuffy and humid as if you had a hot tub in there after every shower. I met my companion and the district leader with his companion at the bus stop at 10 or so. My companion is the only one that is not American. Elder Emílio is a native from Fortaleza. He is headed back home at the end of June. Elder Drake is my district leader and another Washingtonian. He is a four-star chef so he does his best with our propane oven most of the time. I have met a lot of really cool members here and a missionary who came back to tour before he went home. I went in half on a hammock with elder drake. It will be his for a month and then I will bring it along with me. 

All of the mission homes have massive load-bearing hooks specifically for hammocks so I will not have to sweat into a mattress every night. Everyone wants me to pick a soccer team. It is either the Sao Paulo futbol club or the corinthians. I received over 200 hundred bug bites in my first week. There are not any laws here in the interior and there are not any police to enforce the non-existent laws so people drive however they want, let off fireworks whenever they want, sell or buy whatever they want, it is Anarchy. Everyone here rides motorcycles, even the people who do not own a motorcycle ride motorcycles. The most people I have seen on the same bike is 5 if you do not count children under the age of 3. There are a lot of Volkswagens in shapes I have not seen before, a lot of minibuses though. 

The first time I saw a Gol I thought they just lost the “f” from the Golf. Most of the cars are very small and then you will randomly see a charter bus wandering through the streets. Every building is built out of these ceramic blocks that kind of look like this when they are on one side 8888 because they are kind of like 8 toilet paper roles strapped together. I helped a member build a house the other day with these brick like structures. The church is under construction and will not be ready for human entrants until June. There is not internet here for popular consumption so people who have it charge 2 reals an hour for it and it is very slow.

All is well here see you all in 2 years or so.

Elder Willard

Temple Visit in Sao Paulo

I'm really happy with my district, everyone gets along, but my companion is tone deaf. What are the odds I would get two tone deaf companions exactly? The language is getting easier and I'm thinking in Portuguese.  The world cup is being hosted by Brazil this year and Manaus is one of the cities where the games will be played, so I will have nothing to do for a solid week but sit in the apartment and read the scriptures.

The most terrifying thing about Brazil is the roads. There are no rules! You just go whichever way you want. You want to walk across the freeway? Go ahead. How about bumping the car in front to speed them up? No problem. You want to park parallel touching the car in front and back, after all, there are no lines. It makes for very interesting travel to the temple. The temple, by the way, is incredible. Most of the time I have to use head phones, but they did an English session for us Americans.  The chandelier in the celestial room is amazing.

There is a missionary song I really like, but it's only in the Portuguese hymnal. It's very spirited and listening to the other missionaries sing it is beautiful.

Hope all is well, tudo bem.

Elder Willard

Already out on the Street

It is so weird here in CTM. There are so few missionaries. There are thirty something Americans so it's very different whereas everyone in Provo wanted to be your friend and talk to you nobody here can so you're kind of lonely.

All the Brazilians come and leave within ten or so days so our numbers go from 150 to 60 on a weekly basis. My companion is a very strange person, he's equal parts Guatemalan, German, and Mexican. He’s speaks fluent Spanish so he has no trouble with Portuguese. Our teachers don't speak English, but we can understand them for the most part. The weirdest thing by far is the heat, I don't feel it! It can be 30 degrees Celsius and I won't feel warm at all, it's crazy!

We went out on our third day here to proselyte on the street with our district and it was surreal I felt scared, excited, intimidated, and confident all at the same time. I bore my testimony of the truthfulness of the book of Mormon to a man who said the he had a copy but hadn't read it and I gave him Moroni's challenge.

We went to the temple this morning and had a great time. The temple is right next to the road so the sound of cars thundering along is so loud until you close the door and you can't hear a thing. We just forgot about the world. We visited the distribution center near the temple and I got a little Hinos (hymnal) for three dollars and a pocket size biblia sagrada for 1.25. I don't want to buy anything because I’m very worried about the weight issue. 

They have peanut butter here which I didn't expect and a lot of American things, so if anyone wants to send me a package, don't, just put some money on my card. One of my fellow district members mentioned google hangout which is like a multi-person Skype function in google+. So maybe we could coordinate and I could see Katie and Howard and the family all at the same time. I haven't had any emergencies and I’m still in one piece.

 Sincerely,

Elder Willard

Arrived in Sao Paulo

Frazier has arrived, safe and sound, in Sao Paulo at the MTC for three more weeks of training.

Visa Arrives!

Hi Willards,

I got my visa so no worries, I’m flying to Sao Paulo on Tuesday morning with a sister from my district who got hers at the same time. Everyone is saying that if your visa application was sent to the L.A. consulate you should just give up hope. San Francisco has run out of the stickers that go in your passport so it will take them a while to get going again. I’m having a lot of fun and getting along with everyone. At this moment we are in the laundry room at 4 in the morning to get spots at the computers and two of the sister companionships beat us here. I should be able to call home at the airport or there abouts. I forgot my flight itinerary at the residence but I’ll be flying Delta to Atlanta, Georgia where I’ll wait for my 9 hour 30 minute flight right next to sister Riding (we sometimes call her little red). Should be fun, maybe I’ll go to burger king while I wait. Sister Decker's mother sent a message to her daughter that I’m on her missionary mom's website so you might know her. I was sad to hear about the Campbell’s. It certainly seems that everything happens right after I leave. Anyway, I should be able to answer any questions you have when we talk and I’m looking forward to some answers too.

Sincerely,
Elder Willard

Arrival at the Provo MTC

I’m having a great time here! I know it's only been a week but it feels like at least a month. I’m in one of the only districts with more sisters than elders and it is amazing they are way more focused and gospel oriented than the elders and they are a really good influence on us. I’ve been really tired and might have fallen asleep one during personal study and Sister Jones (she's my favorite) gave us all notes with encouragement and praise and she added a scripture to mine. Luke 8:23 "but as they sailed he fell asleep:" she told that it was supposed to be how I just need to ask the Lord for guidance and help, but I thought it was hilarious. Our second night here we were told to visit this potential investigator who was on the campus. He only spoke Portuguese and we had to teach him the first lesson. It might have been a train wreck but as we kept working with him we got better and better until two night ago we didn't have to use notes at all! Then he came into our classroom and told us that he is going to be one of our instructors and that he had served in Fortaleza Brazil where he taught the person he was emulating. Our other instructor is a return missionary from Sao Paulo Brazil and he will only speak to us in Portuguese. He’s very active and helpful and loving and we are learning a lot from him. We are all proficient at bearing testimony and praying in Portuguese by now but I don't want to show off. My roommates are really relaxed and easy to get along with. Espero voces estao felicidades e saudes.

 Elder Willard