Valentine's Day

Hey! I was caught in a torrential rainstorm on a bike! My Spanish is getting better and we learned that my Coloradoan companion is being sent to the São Paulo MTC for a refresher on the language before he heads to his mission. I'm getting really into tie trading here and I think I will probably have quite the collection when I return. It has been frigidly cold here and I always wake up cold. There is something wrong with the heating that is making it sap much more energy so we can't use it.

We were able to visit the temple on valentine's day and that was amazing but the Florida temple isn't quite as cool as the Seattle I think. I went home teaching for the first time yesterday to some really cool families in the ward. I went with their home teacher and left my companions for about a little while which was weird. Things are going well down here and I hope the snow in Hawaii melts before you get there.

Rather shocking, but it has been cold for the last couple of days here. Of course, cold means the lowest it gets is 55 and you make sure to turn the heat on but that's about it. We had a ward campout and everyone got really close to the fire. As it turns out missionaries in the states care a lot more about ties than normal people or other missionaries so my collection has expanded greatly.

Because I have an ipad now I was debating sending certain study materials home such as preach my gospel and my quad to save room.

Elder Willard

A picture from Christmas

New iPad Minis

Hey, so earlier in the week we got ipad minis. They are pretty sweet and I just bought a little keyboard for mine that is made of rubber and rolls up for storage. $20 is not bad, right? I think I need to buy a new watch, the band is breaking on this one I’ve had for 2 years. It's been a kind of weird week, lots of new tools that aren't really effective yet and it is a struggle to plan.

I am finding lots of ways that the ipads can be used for evil and that the gospel library is pretty sweet. We saw Elder L Tom Perry on Saturday as he was talking to all the ward councils in the area. He is super enthusiastic and he is 92! He ran up the stairs, pounded his fist on the pulpit, and was cracking jokes the whole meeting. We just got to watch the broadcast though and we didn't get to ask questions.

We met some great people and had some excellent food and all is well here in florida. I hope Howard is doing okay at home and he isn't worrying too much about everyone's salvation. You guys better do family home evening tonight! Every little bit counts!

Hope everyone is well,

Eder Willard

Sent from my iPad

8 Months

A third of the way there. Doesn’t feel like it's been very long but it's only going to get longer.

We’ve had some troubles this last week. Eva, the little girl we were going to baptize was prohibited from doing so by her mother's boyfriend. The mom is solid but the boyfriend is super controlling. Who knows what is going to happen there. We will probably baptize her anyway in a little while.

I don't know if I mentioned it but we met an Apostle on Saturday. Elder Russel M. Nelson came to do a regional stake conference in Florida and our mission president asked if he could meet with the missionaries. We all shook his hand and had a good time but man! The missionaries ask stupid questions! What should I give my homecoming talk on? Why is 3 such an important number? Why is the creation story told is 4 different ways? Nonsense.

Next week I'll be able to send you guys some sweet pictures, but I would appreciate some in return.

Hope everything is well on the home front.

Elder Willard

Trio or Tripanionship?

Here I am in the only area where there are hills in the mission. It’s pretty great though, lots of investigators compared to Portuguese work and I am in a tripanionship! Let me tell you, it is so much fun! It is so easy to get along with three so it is such a blessing to go from the worst companionship to the best I’ll probably have.

The area is great as I said, we have people to teach and we are being invited in to teach just after door contacting. The members here are super involved with missionary work and they help us out a lot.

My companions are Elder Forrest from Utah who is very spiritual and he loves dirt bikes and Elder McBride who is from Colorado--kind of a nerdy guy and likes a lot of the things I like and is very well-versed in gospel topics. McBride is waiting for his visa to go to Brazil in Rio Grande do Norte.

We caught a rat last night after we saw him scurrying around in our house. I set a trap we had with peanut butter and I have a picture of me holding it by the tail. I'll make sure to send it on.

The work is good and the members are awesome, this should be an excellent transfer.

Hope you all are well!

Elder Willard

Transfers

We are both being transferred out of the only Portuguese area in the mission. This transfer was probably the hardest transfer so far.

I’m all packed up so I’m just waiting it out. Tired out.

Elder Willard

News for BYU-I: A Funny Post

President Cecil O. Samuelson of Brigham Young University announced in a press conference on Friday that starting in 2014, the university will officially be renamed Brigham Young University- Idaho: South Campus.

Samuelson said that the decision was made in an attempt to simulate the stronger feelings of goodwill, obedience, and moral superiority that exist in BYU’s sister school located in Rexburg, Idaho.

“BYU-Idaho doesn’t surpass us in academics, but there is something special there,” said Samuelson. “I mean, there has to be something special about that frozen tundra or nobody in their right mind would want to live there. We want BYU Idaho- South Campus to feel just like BYU-Idaho, with smaller class sizes, an expanded dress code, a stricter curfew, and that ambiguous sense of kinship they call the Spirit of Ricks. We think that these changes will create a more spiritual climate in Provo.”

Samuelson said that the administration has anticipated negative feedback from students, alumni, and others who will likely resent the banning of intercollegiate sports and stricter rules.

“People will always complain,” said Samuelson, “But once they understand why these changes are happening, they will stop trying to steady the arc, and will start trying to emulate the students at BYU-Idaho whose willingness to forgo flip lops distinguishes them as way more spiritual.”

BYU-Hawaii is expected to be renamed BYU-Idaho: Tropical Paradise in 2018.