Week Sixty Nine - Headed Back to Santerem!

Tom is down to eight months left in the mission field!  That makes me absolutely ecstatic!  I have a feeling Tom may be feeling a little different about that!  I am so proud of this kid and how he just goes with the flow, never complaining - that's just Tom!  It's funny how, as your children grow into adults, they exhibit such admirable characteristics that you long to be more like them! I see that with all three of my children - they are my heroes!!
 
Hello Family Williams!

          My week was okay, despite being in Belém for another week and not being able to work in my actual area. This past week I worked with Elder Cardozo and Elder Scavello, again, in their area. They had a baptism, so congrats to them. But the week was a little bit drawn out, so it´s good news that I return to my area today, on another red eye flight (that´s what they call it right?). Other good news! Simara, a woman that I was teaching in Santarém, before coming to Belém to renew my visa and getting stuck here, was baptized! Woohoo, baptism! I can´t really say much more about it. I just heard from a sister that is serving in the same ward that the batismo foi lindo! (it was beautiful) So I´m really happy to hear that. But that´s about all the news I have.

Pics!....no pics... again!

Q&A

What have you been doing all week in Belem? Missionary work. One day, all the missionaries of the Belém Zone went to the area of some sisters to make contacts for them, to help them find new peeps to teach, which went well. Talking to people in the street is easy now.... I just don´t have much will to do it everyday yet. We had a companion exchange one day, and Elder de Lima, the district leader of E. Scavello and Cardozo went to work with us for the day and Cardozo went to his area. Elder de Lima did something really cool, that I hope one day I have the courage to do. He stood up at the front of the bus and told everyone that we are missionaries of the Church of  the Jesus Christ, and that we have an important message that they need to hear. Elder de Lima was trained by Elder Anderson, who was the one of the presidents assistants when I arrived in the mission field, and I´ve heard a lot of cool things about him, so he´s like my missionary hero at the moment and I hope one day I become as courageous as he was (but I better do it fast, I´ve only got about 8 months left in the mission). 
Did you meet with your mission president and did you find out more about your release date? No, not yet. I think the interviews with the president will be on the 16th or 17th of this month, and he still hasn´t responded to the e-mail (but that´s okay because he has the e-mails of about 130 missionaries to read every p-day). And the release date is still 26th of November I think....
Do you still think you want us to try to come pick you up?  If yes, I need to start working on visas for me and Dad. Yes, I do. My mind is set. Come here now! (or 8 months from now).
Where did you watch conference?  What did you think about the announcement of a new temple in Brazil? I watched conference in the chapel of my first area, Arsenal. I got to see some of the peeps from my first area. Most of them didn´t remember my name, but recognized the face. It was interesting to see them and some of the changes that have happened. The kids all look bigger, some families have new babies. It was cool.
What have you been doing about clothes for this past week and a half - are you somewhere with a washer? yes there is a washer here, and a drier (the first i´ve seen since arriving in the field) but it´s horrible, it doesn´t dry anything. So yeah, I´ve just been using the same clothes everyday, but that ends tomorrow.

But okay, that´s all for this week. I love you all. Stay safe. Have a great week. Até o próximo!

Love Elder R. Williams

Week Sixty Eight - Stuck in Belem!

Hello Family!

        I hope you are all well and safe. I´m okay here. I´m in Belém still. We ran into a problem here with my visa. I came to Belém to renew my visa, I guess it only has a duration of a year or so, but I thought it would only take about a day or 2, so I brought no extra clothes with me, and very few supplies. So I arrived here, went to the mission office and the secretaries tell me that I probably won´t be returning to my area until the next Tuesday (tomorrow) because the police station or the guys there or whatever.... are only dealing with visas on Mondays and Tuesdays. Nossa! what luck I have. So we went there on Wednesday, I think, to try and set an appointment, but we learned that Monday (today) and Tuesday (tomorrow) are completely booked, so I will have to wait until the next Monday or Tuesday to renew my visa, staying here one more week, with pretty much nothing. So that kind of sucks.... a lot... My companion has been working alone this whole past week, relying entirely on the members, and if there are no members that can help him, he as to work with other missionaries in there area. But I´m almost certain that we´ll still have a baptism this next Saturday.... but I won´t be there to see it..

      On Tuesday I watched a bunch of missionaries go home because their 2 years was up. My second companion in the field, Elder Inácio, was one of them. The time sure does pass fast. The other Elder Williams was one of them, too, so I will now be Elder Williams instead of R. Williams. I went to the airport to await the arrival of another Elder´s mom, who came to visit Belém, and while we waited, we ate a subway sandwich. Nossa! It was so delicious. I really had no idea what I was missing during my first 19 years of life..... And the rest of the week I just worked a little with the Elders that live in the mission home, in their area, which is a little boring. I learned that a family (a husband and wife that have 3 daughters but they are too young to be baptized) that I taught a little before leaving from my previous area, Paracurí, was baptized in this past transfer, so I´m happy to hear that. But that´s about it for this week.

Q&A
Did you find anything out abut your Visa's expiration date?  Release date? I learned that the expiration date is Dec. 14th, or so I was told, I don´t know for sure about that... but I think it´s right. My release date in November 26th, so there´s time to make a visit.
Did you get any packages in Belem?  If so, what and from who?  Did you finally get your soccer jersey I sent? Yes I received my packages, one from G&G Pratt, muito obrigado! and the valentine´s package you sent, and the jersey. Muito Obrigado! But I don´t think I want any more packages with treats in them. I think I´ve had enough. But who knows, maybe I won´t be saying that 2 months from here.
Did you do anything special for Easter? Nope! Nada!

Aunt Nancy wanted me to ask if you ever got the puzzle they sent you for Christmas or the journal and letter that Drew sent?  She said that Drew usually doesn't do things like that so it sounds like it was pretty special that he would write you and send you something.  If you can write them to thank them, that would really be nice.  Let me know if you need their address. Yes I did receive them (Nossa! I´m slow), and yes send me their address. I´ll be sure to write thank you note.

Where did you stay when you went back to Belem?  Hopefully, it was someplace nice! The mission home is pretty nice, compared to the other houses of the mission, but it´s not like a hotel or anything....
What's the story about the pop can you sent home?  Does it really say Jesus on the can and is that a popular drink down there?  Funny story.... Dad put the can on the mantle over the fireplace and Friday, he noticed it was gone.  He asked me, David and Em if we did something with it and we all said no.  So he asked Grandma if she had seen it and she said yes, she threw it away!  She thought someone had just left an empty pop can laying around.  Luckily, it was still just in the indoors garbage can and she went and got it out of the garbage! Grandma! Almost threw away my souveneir(sp?), did you!? Why I oughta! (I´m joking!) There´s no story to the can. It just looks cool and has a funny name, Guaraná Jesus! and not a very good flavor. It tastes like cherry cough syrup.
Any more thoughts about us coming to pick you up? I think I changed my mind and want you to come here, but I´m still waiting for an answer from pres. Scisci. I think interviews with him are coming up. If he doesn't say anything in the e-mail, I´ll ask him in the interview.

Pics! No pics again! because I left the cable that connects the camera to the computer in Santarém, sorry! Congrats to Mike and his eternal companion! That´s all for today, have a great week. I love you all and miss you tons. Tchau Tchau!

Love Elder Williams

Week Sixty Seven - Returning to Belem!

Hello Everyone!
  
      The transfer is over already, again, but this one doesn´t bring any big changes, to me at least. I´ll be staying in the area Santarém, with my same companion, which is the first time that I´ll be staying with a companion a second transfer since my second companion in the field, which was about 9 months ago. My week was okay. We found some pretty good new investigators this week, but unfortunately, only one went to church yesterday. The one that went, her name is Simara, she´s about 30 years old. We found her while trying to look for some less active members, using a list of all the members of the ward, and there´s a lot of less actives here. Simara is the neice of this less active member, but the member doesn´t live at the address indicated on the list, just Simara and her parents live there. Simara said she was visited by sister missionaries about 7 years ago and received some of the lessons, but her father expelled them from the house one day (while he was drunk) and she didn´t continue with the lessons. But we taught her about the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what the gospel of Jesus Christ is, this past week, and she committed her self to being baptized, if she receives an answer from God that Joseph Smith was a prophet. She hadn´t received an answer yet, but she said she dreamed that her aunt (the less active member) was waiting for her at church. So, she walked to church yesterday, without us having to get her, when we pretty much always have to get our investigators by car, and said she was received very well, and liked the church a lot. Her baptismal date is the 6th of April, and before going to church, she expressed to us that she didn´t think she would be ready by this date, but at church, during the sacrament meeting, she told a sister missionary that was sitting at her side, that she knows she´ll be ready by the 6th. So I have strong feelings that she will be baptized. (Wow! what a paragraph!) Anyways....
         Yesterday, at church, I also gave a talk, which I think is my 4th time in the mission field. It´s definitely getting easier every time give a talk, and a lot less stressful. I received a few compliments on my Portuguese speaking, which is cool. I pretty much just talked about the need of participation of all members in the missionary work, and what many of the prophets have said about it. But today, I will be returning to Belém, getting one more plane ride, to update my protocol or whatever it´s called, so I can stay in Brazil. So I guess I get a few more days of rest this week. But that´s about all for now.
Q&A
Are the three missionaries you live with all from Brazil? Yes, at the moment I think all 3 are from São Paulo, but one is leaving to another area, and the other that will arrive is also from São Paulo. The newbie will be Elder Neres, the one that worked with me for a few days in my last area as we had the companionship exchange with the assistant of the mission. But we´re going to be looking for a new house early this next transfer, so that we can actually live in our area, so I don´t think we´ll be staying where we´re at now much longer.

Do you see any big bugs where you are at, now? Sometimes. In one of my previous areas, Vila dos Cabanos, I saw a butterfly with almost a foot wide wing span, nossa! But here I´ve seen a few bugs that are a few inches long, 3 or 5 or so. bit I think they were all dead.

Have you bought any new shoes, yet? Yes.... but they are not very comfortable, so I´m not using them...... but don´t worry.... I think the ones I have will last until there is very little time left on my mission, and when my shoes go the way of all the earth, I should almost be home, já..... eu espero.....

I noticed your hair was super short in some of the last pictures you sent.  Who cuts your hair, now? I just cut it at a salon close to our house.

Any packages or letters this past week?  If so, who from? Nope, but going to Belém today, I should get them this week.

Where do you go to e-mail home, usually or is it different each week? There´s a cyber café close to our house that we usually go to, if its not full and all the computers are working.

And the big question.... did you find out anything about your release date and the date on your passport and do you think you want us to come pick you up? I haven´t found out anything yet. I sent an e-mail to the mish pres last week, but he hasn´t responded yet. I think at the moment, the answer is, even though I don´t want to say it, no. I think I´m just going to return home with the Elders that arrived with me. I still haven´t made a decision set in stone, and being that I´m going to Belém today, I can probably get the info about the visa and the day I return home, but I´ll be thinking about it more this week...... so indecisive, Elder R. Williams!

Pics!.... are taking too long and I have to go now... sorry again for no pics, but next week I promise you will have your pics!

But I love you all and miss you, have a great week, stay safe! Falou!

Love Elder R. Williams

Week Sixty Six - Six Investigators!

Hello Family!

           My week was okay. We tried to rent a house that is actually in our area, because the walk from our house to our area is a bit long. So we found a place, we had our zone leaders inspect it, they said everything looks good, we got the contract from the mission office, gave it to the owner of the new house, saying that we´ll probably get the house, and 2 days later he tells us that he doesn´t accept the contract of the church... de jeito nenhum! Anyways... that doesn´t bother me too much. I prefer staying in a house of 4 instead of just 2. And the walking doesn´t bother me, either... I´m quite used to it. This week, while working, we found a girl, Nossa! I don´t think I´ve seen someone so interactive in the lessons before. I thought she was an elect of the Lord (and I think she is)! But we returned the next day, and tells us the bad news she received that day. She´s leaving the city to live with her father in an other city that doesn´t have the church, or missionaries yet. Ugh what luck. O diabo impediu mesmo, nesta semana... But we´re still lutando (fighting). We had stake conference here in Santarém, which was okay.... I wish I could tell you what I´ve learned, but I forgot.... embarrassing.... But I continue! We had a goal to take 6 investigators to conference with us. 6 I SAY! shut up, dork.... but we only got one to go... Better luck next week... with a baptism, I hope! And that was my week.

      HOW COOL! that David´s going on a state temple run. How many temples are in Utah?  I think it´s 14, or some number around there... that´s the number I tell everyone here who asks, so I hope it´s right.

       About coming to get me here in Brazil, it appears that I don´t have my visa nor my missionary book (is it the one I received with my calling that has all the info I needed to prepare?) but I think the mission office has it. So I will be asking for that info right about now, and if not this week, wait one more and you´ll have your answer.
Q&A

Did you get any packages this past week?  Valentines packages, your soccer jersey?  If you did get any, who from? nope, turns out Pres. Scisci didn´t come for the stake conference, so nothing yet.
Do you ever wear your sunglasses?  Are you stilled banned from wearing them? nope, I think so.
If you can't wear sunglasses, does the sun bother your eyes? nope.
How are your glasses holding up?  It seems like, in all your pictures anyway, you are still wearing your old ones. They´re fine. I did some deep cleaning on them a few weeks ago. Egua! I don´t think I need to say more...
Do you think your glasses prescription has changed? I don´t think so.

Pics! I´m not able to send them right now, there´s a problem with the computador. Sorry, wait until next week.

That´s all for this week. I love you all. Have a great week. Stay safe and healthy. I´ll be sure to start looking for stuff to buy and send home. Hugs and Ki.... no, no kisses.... Tchau!

Love, Elder R. Williams

Week Sixty Five - The Orla and the Two Rivers!

Tom on a dolphin!

Tom, Elder Minghini, his companion and Leandro.

Tom at the river.... with a sack!

Mission Conference..... can't find Tom....

Hello Family!

      Sorry about last week. I was at the house of a member trying to use his laptop. My companion used it without any problems but when I got it, it stopped working. What luck! Anyways, this week was good. We´re constantly looking for new people to teach, trying to talk to peeps on the streets (I think I already said that). We taught a girl that went to church with us yesterday. She worked from 7 at night on Saturday until 7 in the morning on Sunday, and still went to church with us, which is cool. This week we had an area 70 visit us, Elder Godoy. He´s really cool. I liked him a bit more than the last area 70 that visited us, Elder Mazzagardi. Elder Goday was the mission president of the Brazil Belém mission some years ago, and he told us a little about how strong the missionaries are that serve here, and if their not strong, they will become strong, after leaving here. "Só os fortes servem no Norte!"
      I´m liking my new area a lot, but I´m kind of sick of being transferred and having to get to know everyone over again, so, hopefully, I stay here for a while. There´s a cool part of our area that´s called the "orla," I think it´s boardwalk in English, but I don´t know for sure. It´s a cool sight along the river. The river has 2 colors, blue and yellow, because it´s where 2 rivers meet together, and the waters don´t mix, so half of it is blue and the other yellow.... I think that´s it for this week.
Q&A
1)I forgot to look. I´ll search for it this week or ask the mish pres. next week.
2)No packages this week. I hope to receive them this next week. We will be having stake conference, and I think President Scisci will be coming, so maybe he´ll bring some stuff with him.
3) I think I´ll just buy some stuff, to send home, even though it´s really expensive.
4)It´s.... a residential I guess.... I´ll try to get pics, because it´s basically on a hill, so there´s some places that you can stare down the street almost arriving to the river.... it´s quite cool... but I can´t really explain it.
5)I think I want you and Dad to come get me, but I´m still kind of up in the air about it. I´ll give a definite answer next week.
Pics
1) Me on a dolphin at the orla. 2) Me, my companion, Elder Minghini, and Leandro, a member here that helps us out a lot. 3) It´s me.... looking out over the river.... with a sack, for some reason.
I think that´s all for this week. I love you all. Have a great week. Enjoy spring break, for those that still have spring break. Stay safe, face your fears, be courageous, do what you want.... but don´t die! (I should be careful with my advice!)
Love Elder R. Williams

Week Sixty Four - No Email.....

Well, this week was a bust.....:(.  

Hello, my time on the computer is not going well, so I´ll just write
to you next week... love you all... Tchau!
Elder R. Williams

Week Sixty Three - Arriving in Santarem!

Tom, Bia, Vinicius, the older brother, Predo, the younger brother, and the neighbor´s girl.

Tom, Edith and her neighbors: Jennifer, on my right, her mom, Auxiliadora, and July (Julie).

Arriving at the airport at Santarem.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM DIA! FAMILIA WILLIANS!
       Before talking about anything that went on at home, I will talk about my week so far. So I was transferred to my new area. I got a plane at 11:40 to my new area. I was wrong about the boat, unfortunately, it was just a plane ride, and it was at night so you couldn´t see anything out the window, and I sat in the isle seat... what luck... so no pics from the plane. But generally people that go to the Santarém zone stay there for a good amount of time and are just transferred within the zone, so there is a chance that I still get a 10 hour boat ride to somewhere. Embora ver. My new companion is Elder Minghini, he´s from São Paulo. He´s got about 5 months in the field. He´s an okay guy. The house we live in is again out of the area, about 40 minutes away, which is a little rough. We live in the house of another dupla, Elder Paiva and Elder de Oliveira. Elder Paiva is also from São Paulo, and he´s pretty cool, I like him. He knows how to speak English so sometimes we talk a little. His brother served in Provo and his family owns Mr. Cheyneys, the cookie store outside of the MTC in São Paulo. Elder Minghini is my second companion that served in the Brazilian army, so he´s very disciplined but he also likes to joke around. Our area is quite big, so we do a lot of walking, and right now we´re just looking for new people to teach and talking to lots of peeps na streets.
        Pics: The first is the airport of Santarém. I arrived there at about 1 in the morning and waited until about 2 for the ride to the house, and still had to get up at 6:30... ugh such little sleep. The next is me, Bia, the girl in red, Vinicius, the older brother, Predo, the younger brother, and the neighbor´s girl, who I don´t know. Bia was getting ready to be baptized this past Saturday. I hope she was. The last is me, Edith, on the left, and her neighbors: Jennifer, on my right, her mom, Auxiliadora, and July (Julie) is holding the dog on the leash. They are members in Paracurí.
Q&A
Joan wants to know if you say your prayers in Portuguese? Yes, I pray in Portuguese.

What kind of boat did you have to take and did you sleep on the boat - if so, where? Don´t know, didn´t get a boat, sorry for the mix up

Did you take a small plane or a big plane to Santarem? It was a normal plane, just smaller.

Did you figure out how to charge your ipod and are you still using it? yes and yes.

Who is your new companion and where is he from? Elder São Paulo is from Minghini.....

Did you get any packages or letters when you did your transfer?  If so, who from? Nothing yet, but maybe I´ll get something tomorrow, if the zone leaders went to Belém this past week, but I think they almost never go there, so who knows.

WOW WHAT EXCITING NEWS! DAVID´S GOING TO DALLAS! Y EL VA HABLAR ESPAÑOL! (eu acho que disse certo). Egua!  Congratulations David! I´m so excited and happy for you! I know it´s not out of the country, but it´s still a mission, and it´s the Lord´s, not yours. I know you´re going to be a great missionary David. This past week I sent a box home (egua it was expensive, so don´t expect another). It doesn´t have any gifts for anyone, exactly (David can have the São Paulo bracelet). But there is a letter in it for David, and I think this letter should help... I hope. I know it´s a little upsetting to see your friends go to places so far away, as if it were a great adventure, while it seems like you´re going to your neighbor´s, but a mission is a mission. It is not to see and know the world, but to preach the true gospel of Jesus Christ to everyone. I´m so happy to hear this news. I´m so happy for you, David. I know you will help many people. Have courage to do all that is asked of you, and have patience. I guess I´ll see you in.... 2015 then... wow what a long ways away. But don´t worry, it passes rapidão! (super duper fast).
But I guess that´s all for this week. I love you all and hope you have a great week. Stay safe. Wish me luck, this week! Tchau Tchau!
Love Elder R. Williams