May 23, 2011
Bom dia, família! How are you guys all doing this morning?
So, this last week, I got sick. Like, pretty sick mesmo. On Monday evening, after coming home from work, my companion and I ordered lanches, which are basically just hamburgers. We both got X-tudos (that means they put everything on it), so my burger had ground beef, bacon, hot dog, a fried egg, lettuce, onion, and tomato. Well, something in there just didn't want to cooperate. We ate at around 9 o'clock, planned, and went to bed. I was woken up at 3:30 in the morning by some horrible stomach pains, and I immediately went to the bathroom. I spent the next eight hours or so struggling with nausea, vomiting, and Montezuma's revenge. It was awful. Eventually I was able to speak with the mission doctor and get some medicine prescribed. Another dupla of missionaries came by the house because we were going to do a division, so they went to the pharmacy and got my medicine. I took the medicine and slept like a baby for the rest of the day and most of Wednesday. On Thursday, I was able to leave the house, but I was still feeling pretty weak, but I'm all better now.
That burger almost killed me! I weighed myself on Thursday, and I had lost about seven pounds in two days! I think I've gained it all back though, because my body had hardly any water in it at the time.
The rest of the week was pretty normal. We're just working and teaching and helping people get ready to be baptized.
Do you guys have any questions about anything? I don't know what kind of stuff you want to hear about, because everything out here has become so normal. Like, I doubt you're too interested with how the zone is doing, or what my ward's missionary work-related goals are. So, what do you want to know about?
How are things going back home? Is everyone gearing up for the summer / Brazilian winter? Any plans yet?
Well, I'm doing just fine and dandy. I'm just trying to do my best to keep my head above water and stay focused. I'm not trunky!
I love you guys! I hope all is well! The Church is true!
luv
elder wiggins
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Crayon angels, songs are slightly out of tune
May 16, 2011
Hey fambily, tudo bem!
So, I'm kind of getting the hang of things in my new area now. Elder Woolley and I are getting along really well and working hard. We have a lot of good investigators that we're teaching, too, and some are getting close to baptism.
We were knocking doors last week when Elder Woolley found a kid named Carlos, who invited us in. Carlos is 15, and we ended up teaching him, his grandma, and his 21-year-old cousin, Maurício. It turns out that Maurício was really curious about the message we shared. He went to church last Sunday. Yesterday, Carlos, Maurício, and their other cousin Marcos all went to church practically by themselves. It was awesome! Maurício seems especially interested, and his baptism is scheduled for this Saturday. The other two should be baptized next week. We're working hard with them to help them keep the commandments and continue to feel the Spirit. They're really good, though. It was cool to have members help us out while they were at church, too; they were guys sitting with them and helping them out the whole time, which was nice. It makes a big difference to be in a big ward with a lot of returned missionaries. It seems like they get it a little better, you know?
Einstein (yeah, that's his name -- cool, huh?) and Jaqueline are a couple that the elders found while knocking doors a good two months or so ago. Einstein is from Rio de Janeiro and is one of the most alegre (joyful, I guess?) guys I've ever met. He loves the missionaries. Jaqueline went to church for the first time yesterday (!), and she liked it a lot. They were having some marital problems, but they're getting better and better. Actually, that's one of the big obstacles blocking either of them from getting baptized: they're not married. And in Brasil, it's not so easy to get married. It's a pretty complicated process that yields no government benefits, so most people don't even bother. Einstein and Jaqueline are progressing nicely, though. We just need to get them married and help them with a few other little issues.
Rodrigo, Carla, Junior, Isabela, and Isadora are an amazing family that Elder Woolley and his last comp found a long time ago, too. They are one of those families, you know? Like, they are so obviously prepared for the gospel, it seems like a miracle that they aren't already members. The only problem is that things keep coming up on Sunday mornings, so they still haven't been to church. They already know a bunch of members, too, because we have taught them with members multiple times. Unfortunately, it's getting to the point where we might need to let them go for now. I really hope they turn around, though, because they are an incredible family.
We had zone counsel this week, where all the zone leaders go to Ribeirão Preto and receive training from President and the assistants. I had never been before, so it was interesting to see the mission from a slightly new point of view. It seems like the further you get up in mission leadership, though, the more you see the numbers and the harder it is to see the people. I'm trying to learn what I can and maintain a good perspective on things.
I feel like I don't have that much to say, but I think it's because we're just going, you know? Like, we're just moving forward every day and not stopping. My companion is really humble and tranquilo, but he's a hard worker. We're just kind of quietly steamrolling forward and giving everything we have to the Lord, and He is blessing us a lot. I'm doing my best to keep moving up and not allow myself to flat line. It seems like it gets harder and harder to keep progressing as time moves on out here. The more time you get on the mission, the easier it is to just coast along, so I'm trying to avoid that. And things are going well! Tudo está bem!
I love all of you so much! I hope you're doing well!
--Elder Wiggins
Hey fambily, tudo bem!
So, I'm kind of getting the hang of things in my new area now. Elder Woolley and I are getting along really well and working hard. We have a lot of good investigators that we're teaching, too, and some are getting close to baptism.
We were knocking doors last week when Elder Woolley found a kid named Carlos, who invited us in. Carlos is 15, and we ended up teaching him, his grandma, and his 21-year-old cousin, Maurício. It turns out that Maurício was really curious about the message we shared. He went to church last Sunday. Yesterday, Carlos, Maurício, and their other cousin Marcos all went to church practically by themselves. It was awesome! Maurício seems especially interested, and his baptism is scheduled for this Saturday. The other two should be baptized next week. We're working hard with them to help them keep the commandments and continue to feel the Spirit. They're really good, though. It was cool to have members help us out while they were at church, too; they were guys sitting with them and helping them out the whole time, which was nice. It makes a big difference to be in a big ward with a lot of returned missionaries. It seems like they get it a little better, you know?
Einstein (yeah, that's his name -- cool, huh?) and Jaqueline are a couple that the elders found while knocking doors a good two months or so ago. Einstein is from Rio de Janeiro and is one of the most alegre (joyful, I guess?) guys I've ever met. He loves the missionaries. Jaqueline went to church for the first time yesterday (!), and she liked it a lot. They were having some marital problems, but they're getting better and better. Actually, that's one of the big obstacles blocking either of them from getting baptized: they're not married. And in Brasil, it's not so easy to get married. It's a pretty complicated process that yields no government benefits, so most people don't even bother. Einstein and Jaqueline are progressing nicely, though. We just need to get them married and help them with a few other little issues.
Rodrigo, Carla, Junior, Isabela, and Isadora are an amazing family that Elder Woolley and his last comp found a long time ago, too. They are one of those families, you know? Like, they are so obviously prepared for the gospel, it seems like a miracle that they aren't already members. The only problem is that things keep coming up on Sunday mornings, so they still haven't been to church. They already know a bunch of members, too, because we have taught them with members multiple times. Unfortunately, it's getting to the point where we might need to let them go for now. I really hope they turn around, though, because they are an incredible family.
We had zone counsel this week, where all the zone leaders go to Ribeirão Preto and receive training from President and the assistants. I had never been before, so it was interesting to see the mission from a slightly new point of view. It seems like the further you get up in mission leadership, though, the more you see the numbers and the harder it is to see the people. I'm trying to learn what I can and maintain a good perspective on things.
I feel like I don't have that much to say, but I think it's because we're just going, you know? Like, we're just moving forward every day and not stopping. My companion is really humble and tranquilo, but he's a hard worker. We're just kind of quietly steamrolling forward and giving everything we have to the Lord, and He is blessing us a lot. I'm doing my best to keep moving up and not allow myself to flat line. It seems like it gets harder and harder to keep progressing as time moves on out here. The more time you get on the mission, the easier it is to just coast along, so I'm trying to avoid that. And things are going well! Tudo está bem!
I love all of you so much! I hope you're doing well!
--Elder Wiggins
And when I sat behind the drum set, your heartbeat's what I tried to play
May 9, 2011
So, I guess none of us has very much to say after yesterday. It was good to talk to you guys! I was a little bummed because the video didn't work out, but that's all right. I enjoyed chatting with you guys a bit, and it was cool to see all the little (big) sobrinhos.
Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I love you!
Because I don't have much to say beyond the stuff we talked about yesterday, I'll just send you guys some recent photos.
The first one is of me and my comp from the MTC, Elder Woodhouse. We took that photo at my last zone conference a few weeks ago.
The second is of me just being my super enthusiastic missionary self in the middle of nowhere. Glasses + watch = nerd.
The third is of me and my new companion practicing the first lesson during comp study. Our mission president and his wife were our "investigators".
So, that's the mission. My new area's big, and we walk a lot. My new companion is a good dude. Kind of reminds me of Jon Vandermark. I'm doing well! I love you guys!
luv
elder wiggins
I know there is a big scary world out there just waiting for me
May 2, 2011
So, the big news of the week: I got transferred!
After two transfers together, my companion and I were both taken out of Américo. But we were both transferred within the same zone, so not much has changed. The area that I was in is a tiny city right next to a really big city called Araraquara. I left the little city, and now I'm in the big city. I'm going to be working in the Araraquara second ward (Ala 2), which is by far the biggest ward in the stake. My new companion is named Elder Woolley. He is actually from the same group as me, so we were in the MTC together and everything. I never got to know him really well in the MTC because we were in different groups, so it will be cool to work with him here. My last comp, Elder Nobre, is going to be in a ward right next to mine, which is cool.
Also, I'm a zone leader now.
So yeah, things are changing. I'm starting my second-to-last transfer, which blows my mind. I could very well be with my last companion in my last area, but I don't know for sure yet. I'm excited to see these changes happen because I need to stay on my toes. If I had stayed in my last area, it probably would have been easier to be lazy and not make the most of the time I have left out here. It was hard to say goodbye to Américo, but I think it was good for us to leave. I feel like my companion and I got there, did everything we could do, and bailed out. It will be cool to be so close to it, though.
Also, I get to call home this week. I still don't know for sure how it's all going to work out because we have a meeting with the stake president and a fireside that our mission president is giving that evening, so it's going to be really nuts.
Anyway, that's what's going on. This week was pretty blah. The only exciting thing that's happening is transfers.
I love you! I hope you're all doing well! Talk to you soon!
luv
o élder wiggins
So, the big news of the week: I got transferred!
After two transfers together, my companion and I were both taken out of Américo. But we were both transferred within the same zone, so not much has changed. The area that I was in is a tiny city right next to a really big city called Araraquara. I left the little city, and now I'm in the big city. I'm going to be working in the Araraquara second ward (Ala 2), which is by far the biggest ward in the stake. My new companion is named Elder Woolley. He is actually from the same group as me, so we were in the MTC together and everything. I never got to know him really well in the MTC because we were in different groups, so it will be cool to work with him here. My last comp, Elder Nobre, is going to be in a ward right next to mine, which is cool.
Also, I'm a zone leader now.
So yeah, things are changing. I'm starting my second-to-last transfer, which blows my mind. I could very well be with my last companion in my last area, but I don't know for sure yet. I'm excited to see these changes happen because I need to stay on my toes. If I had stayed in my last area, it probably would have been easier to be lazy and not make the most of the time I have left out here. It was hard to say goodbye to Américo, but I think it was good for us to leave. I feel like my companion and I got there, did everything we could do, and bailed out. It will be cool to be so close to it, though.
Also, I get to call home this week. I still don't know for sure how it's all going to work out because we have a meeting with the stake president and a fireside that our mission president is giving that evening, so it's going to be really nuts.
Anyway, that's what's going on. This week was pretty blah. The only exciting thing that's happening is transfers.
I love you! I hope you're all doing well! Talk to you soon!
luv
o élder wiggins
People say that you'll die faster than without water
April 25, 2011
So, apparently everyone has iPhones back home now, huh? I swear, every email I receive is "sent from my iPhone". Goodness sakes.
This week was nuts. I went to my last zone conference ever on Tuesday, where I bore my final testimony. It was surreal, in part because I never thought I would actually bear my final testimony, and partly because I still have two transfers out here! But the mission is only going to have zone conference once every three months now, so I had to do it this time. What an insane experience! I remember when I got to the mission that the guys bearing their final testimonies seemed so old and spiritually mature. I don't really feel like I made it to the same level as them, but maybe I have and I just don't know it. Your perspective changes a lot as time goes by on the mission.
This week was a week of baptisms. As district leader, I interviewed two investigators that the other pair of missionaries in my district were teaching. Oddly enough, they both wanted me to baptize them. It's kind of a paint to have to go to another city and back on a bus multiple times in a week, but that's what it takes sometimes! So after doing a division to interview those investigators, we did another division so I could baptize them! I only slept in my house in Américo twice this week. Nuts.
On another day, I also did an interview for the zone leaders, and their investigator passed. It was actually pretty embarrassing because I forgot to ask the lady the fourth baptismal interview question, which is usually the most awkward one. So as we were leaving her house, I realized that I had messed up, and we went aside from everyone and finished the interview really quick. Awwwwwwkward.
Elder Nobre and I baptized a sweet little 9-year-old girl this week. She's actually a member's daughter, but for one reason or another wasn't baptized when she was eight, so she counted as a convert baptism. And remember that baptism that I messed up with a few weeks back? I baptized a member's eight-year-old kid, but a tiny part of his forehead didn't go under the water, so he had to be baptized again. Anyway, he was all nervous and scared on that day, so he wouldn't do it again then. And everyone made a big scene and I looked like a bobo standing in that little above ground pool. So, I baptized him again yesterday. He's a shy kid, so he was nervous this time, too, but everything worked out. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do the baptism a second time if he didn't go under, so I practically touched his back on the bottom of the baptismal font.
Trunky report of the day: I call home in just under two weeks! We're having transfers at the end of this week, so I don't know if I'll be here or not for Mother's Day. If I don't get transferred, though, I'll probably call the day after Mother's Day so that I can use Skype from the LAN house. Everything kind of depends on whether or not I get transferred. Like always, I'll call the day before to set things up, though.
I finished the Book of Mormon in Portuguese this week, which was wonderful. The last chapters of the Book of Mormon are so powerful! At zone conference, President Prieto challenged the whole mission to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover next transfer, so it looks like I'll be starting all over again soon. I think I'm going to read it in English, though.
Araraquara is actually really close to São Carlos, so after we finish up here at the LAN house, Elder Gillespie and I are going to take a bus to São Carlos and visit members from our old area. It's going to be a blast, especially because that area has been closed to missionaries for the last two months or so. Should be fun!
I love you guys! The Church is true! I love being a missionary!
luv
elder wiggins
So, apparently everyone has iPhones back home now, huh? I swear, every email I receive is "sent from my iPhone". Goodness sakes.
This week was nuts. I went to my last zone conference ever on Tuesday, where I bore my final testimony. It was surreal, in part because I never thought I would actually bear my final testimony, and partly because I still have two transfers out here! But the mission is only going to have zone conference once every three months now, so I had to do it this time. What an insane experience! I remember when I got to the mission that the guys bearing their final testimonies seemed so old and spiritually mature. I don't really feel like I made it to the same level as them, but maybe I have and I just don't know it. Your perspective changes a lot as time goes by on the mission.
This week was a week of baptisms. As district leader, I interviewed two investigators that the other pair of missionaries in my district were teaching. Oddly enough, they both wanted me to baptize them. It's kind of a paint to have to go to another city and back on a bus multiple times in a week, but that's what it takes sometimes! So after doing a division to interview those investigators, we did another division so I could baptize them! I only slept in my house in Américo twice this week. Nuts.
On another day, I also did an interview for the zone leaders, and their investigator passed. It was actually pretty embarrassing because I forgot to ask the lady the fourth baptismal interview question, which is usually the most awkward one. So as we were leaving her house, I realized that I had messed up, and we went aside from everyone and finished the interview really quick. Awwwwwwkward.
Elder Nobre and I baptized a sweet little 9-year-old girl this week. She's actually a member's daughter, but for one reason or another wasn't baptized when she was eight, so she counted as a convert baptism. And remember that baptism that I messed up with a few weeks back? I baptized a member's eight-year-old kid, but a tiny part of his forehead didn't go under the water, so he had to be baptized again. Anyway, he was all nervous and scared on that day, so he wouldn't do it again then. And everyone made a big scene and I looked like a bobo standing in that little above ground pool. So, I baptized him again yesterday. He's a shy kid, so he was nervous this time, too, but everything worked out. I knew that I wouldn't be able to do the baptism a second time if he didn't go under, so I practically touched his back on the bottom of the baptismal font.
Trunky report of the day: I call home in just under two weeks! We're having transfers at the end of this week, so I don't know if I'll be here or not for Mother's Day. If I don't get transferred, though, I'll probably call the day after Mother's Day so that I can use Skype from the LAN house. Everything kind of depends on whether or not I get transferred. Like always, I'll call the day before to set things up, though.
I finished the Book of Mormon in Portuguese this week, which was wonderful. The last chapters of the Book of Mormon are so powerful! At zone conference, President Prieto challenged the whole mission to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover next transfer, so it looks like I'll be starting all over again soon. I think I'm going to read it in English, though.
Araraquara is actually really close to São Carlos, so after we finish up here at the LAN house, Elder Gillespie and I are going to take a bus to São Carlos and visit members from our old area. It's going to be a blast, especially because that area has been closed to missionaries for the last two months or so. Should be fun!
I love you guys! The Church is true! I love being a missionary!
luv
elder wiggins
I will be with you when you lose your breath
April 18, 2011
Good morning from Américo Brasiliense! How is everyone doing today?
Crazy news: we baptized and confirmed this week! There's this couple named Cristiane and Fernando that I've mentioned in past emails. Their son is a member who's currently living in Utah with an ex-Sister's family. About a million missionaries have come to know and teach them over the past few years, and for whatever reason, they finally accepted the commitment of baptism! It was so awesome, because they had become one of those nonmember families that loves the missionaries but doesn't really have any intention to investigate the Church. But then everything worked out, and now we baptized a family! I learned that the Lord, and not the missionaries, prepares people to learn about and accept the gospel. We just did what we're supposed to do, Cristiane and Fernando did what they needed to do, and the Lord did the rest.
I just remembered that there are three people getting baptized in the photos that I'm sending. The woman who's a bit older is Fernando's mother, who was also baptized. She lives in a nearby city, though, so we didn't have anything to do with her conversion. In a crazy turn of events, she was gradually converted in large part because of a sister who made phone calls to her from the Salt Lake Temple Square Mission because Fernando (the member kid who's living in Utah) gave his grandma's address to some sisters. It's nuts how all of this fell into place -- it was a miracle, really.
And now for something completely different: I will be bearing my final testimony at my last zone conference ever tomorrow. My mission president is only going to hold zone conference once every three months or so, so the next zone conference will occur shortly after I go home. I guess it's a little silly to bear your final testimony three months before you go home, but it's still somewhat significant, I think. It's crazy to think that the end is coming. I'm trying not to think about it and just dedicate everything to the Lord, and it's working so far. I haven't even been thinking that much about home lately.
So, the mission goes on. This week was insanely stressful because of the baptism (I probably aged twenty years on Saturday night), but it was a good week of work. My comp and I are doing well. I wear shoes now! Woo! And I'm almost done with the Book of Mormon.
To close, here's a scripture that everyone probably knows that I like a lot:
"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God" (Ether 12:4).
Faith points to the future! A real application of the gospel of Jesus Christ makes the world a better place, even if that world is only as big as the one person you helped. The Church is true, and I love being a missionary. The Savior lives, and he loves us. I love you!
--Elder Wiggins
P.S. If I look fat in either of the pictures, it's just the angle of the photo. Ahem.
Gray light, new day leaks through the window
April 11, 2011
Hey guys!
This week in Américo Brasiliense was pretty slow. We actually spent a good amount of time going to and coming from Araraquara because I finally wised up and went to a foot doctor (that's "podólogo" in Portuguese; I don't remember what it is in English) in the city. The mission's health plan apparently doesn't cover podólogos, so I had to pay 60 reais for her to cut my toe up again. It was completely worth it, though. She cut the side of my toenail that had become ingrown since my surgery in December and took out that part of the nail. It didn't hurt because she numbed it somehow, and as soon as we got back home that day, I was already allowed to use shoes! I guess I stopped updating you guys on the sandals situation, but I had been using black socks and sandals for a good couple months until a nurse at the health clinic told me to use flip flops. So I was using flip flops for the last week and a half or so. And then, in one day, the foot doctor fixed everything. Like, I'm wearing shoes right now. It is so awesome! I'm like a real missionary again!
So yeah, it looks like I'll be good for at least the rest of my mission as long as I don't mess something up and cut my toenails weird. I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about such a frustratingly stupid problem anymore.
I also got my package from Mom. Thank you! It was really nice to get all that Easter candy and stuff!
As far as the work is concerned here, it's going slow. Like, really slow. I don't know what it is, but it just seems like something is in our way. I don't get it, but we're going to work hard to get new people to teach. Because we don't have hardly anyone right now. My mission president is instituting a new standard in the mission where we need to knock at least 75 doors a week. I have never particularly enjoyed knocking doors, nor have I had any success with knocking doors, so I'm just trying to swallow my pride and trust in my mission president. We'll see if anything comes of it this week.
I'm almost done with the Book of Mormon in Portuguese. I was originally reading ten pages a day so that I could finish it last transfer, but it turned out to be a pretty lofty goal. So now I'm reading five pages a day, and I'll finish before the end of this transfer. I'm currently reading in Mormon, where it talks about how the Nephites and Lamanites became wicked. Something that I noticed as I've been reading, especially in the early chapters of 3 Nephi and these chapters in Mormon, is that the Lord always, even until the very last moment, allows people to repent of their sins and be purified by the Atonement. It struck me how merciful God is, and how the power of the Atonement is applicable even to people who commit the most horrible of sins. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, everyone can repent always. It's so amazing!
I love all of you! I hope you're doing well! The Church is true!
luv
Elder Wiggins
Hey guys!
This week in Américo Brasiliense was pretty slow. We actually spent a good amount of time going to and coming from Araraquara because I finally wised up and went to a foot doctor (that's "podólogo" in Portuguese; I don't remember what it is in English) in the city. The mission's health plan apparently doesn't cover podólogos, so I had to pay 60 reais for her to cut my toe up again. It was completely worth it, though. She cut the side of my toenail that had become ingrown since my surgery in December and took out that part of the nail. It didn't hurt because she numbed it somehow, and as soon as we got back home that day, I was already allowed to use shoes! I guess I stopped updating you guys on the sandals situation, but I had been using black socks and sandals for a good couple months until a nurse at the health clinic told me to use flip flops. So I was using flip flops for the last week and a half or so. And then, in one day, the foot doctor fixed everything. Like, I'm wearing shoes right now. It is so awesome! I'm like a real missionary again!
So yeah, it looks like I'll be good for at least the rest of my mission as long as I don't mess something up and cut my toenails weird. I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about such a frustratingly stupid problem anymore.
I also got my package from Mom. Thank you! It was really nice to get all that Easter candy and stuff!
As far as the work is concerned here, it's going slow. Like, really slow. I don't know what it is, but it just seems like something is in our way. I don't get it, but we're going to work hard to get new people to teach. Because we don't have hardly anyone right now. My mission president is instituting a new standard in the mission where we need to knock at least 75 doors a week. I have never particularly enjoyed knocking doors, nor have I had any success with knocking doors, so I'm just trying to swallow my pride and trust in my mission president. We'll see if anything comes of it this week.
I'm almost done with the Book of Mormon in Portuguese. I was originally reading ten pages a day so that I could finish it last transfer, but it turned out to be a pretty lofty goal. So now I'm reading five pages a day, and I'll finish before the end of this transfer. I'm currently reading in Mormon, where it talks about how the Nephites and Lamanites became wicked. Something that I noticed as I've been reading, especially in the early chapters of 3 Nephi and these chapters in Mormon, is that the Lord always, even until the very last moment, allows people to repent of their sins and be purified by the Atonement. It struck me how merciful God is, and how the power of the Atonement is applicable even to people who commit the most horrible of sins. Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, everyone can repent always. It's so amazing!
I love all of you! I hope you're doing well! The Church is true!
luv
Elder Wiggins
The images stuck in your head
April 4, 2011
So, general conference was wonderful. I didn't get to watch the whole thing because we weren't able to get it in English on Saturday because of technical problems, but I got to watch the Priesthood Session and both sessions on Sunday. It was so good! Seriously, every single talk was so powerful and spiritually moving. I loved how every time general conference comes around, I feel a renewed sense of duty and a desire to live the gospel of Jesus Christ more fully and more diligently. I hope you guys enjoyed it, too!
I took care of my BYU registration. President gave me permission to go on BYU's website on Friday and just take care of everything myself. I'm taking an English class (for the Civilization requirement), Portuguese, New Testament, Biology, and Physical Science. Assuming I don't screw anything up, I will be just about done with my generals at the end of this semester, so I guess I'll have to figure out what I want to major in soon. I also have to figure out where I want to live and with whom, and where to work and everything, but I'm trying not to let any of this stuff distract me. But anyway, as far as registration for classes is concerned, I'm all set.
That's really all that happened this week. We were just working hard until conference came, and now it has passed. Not much else to talk about, so I won't bother.
I hope you're all doing well! Let me know what's going on in your lives! I love you! The Church is true!
luv
elder wiggins
So, general conference was wonderful. I didn't get to watch the whole thing because we weren't able to get it in English on Saturday because of technical problems, but I got to watch the Priesthood Session and both sessions on Sunday. It was so good! Seriously, every single talk was so powerful and spiritually moving. I loved how every time general conference comes around, I feel a renewed sense of duty and a desire to live the gospel of Jesus Christ more fully and more diligently. I hope you guys enjoyed it, too!
I took care of my BYU registration. President gave me permission to go on BYU's website on Friday and just take care of everything myself. I'm taking an English class (for the Civilization requirement), Portuguese, New Testament, Biology, and Physical Science. Assuming I don't screw anything up, I will be just about done with my generals at the end of this semester, so I guess I'll have to figure out what I want to major in soon. I also have to figure out where I want to live and with whom, and where to work and everything, but I'm trying not to let any of this stuff distract me. But anyway, as far as registration for classes is concerned, I'm all set.
That's really all that happened this week. We were just working hard until conference came, and now it has passed. Not much else to talk about, so I won't bother.
I hope you're all doing well! Let me know what's going on in your lives! I love you! The Church is true!
luv
elder wiggins
I woke up with this song in my head this morning
March 28, 2011
Hey família.
This week was pretty normal. We walked a lot. My companion came down with a pretty strong cold, took some medicine, and got better. Somewhere in there, I also got pretty sick, but I too took some medicine and got better. We lost a day of work because of that.
We're just kind of putting our li'l shoulders to the whill and pushun' right along (read that in Jimmy Stewart's voice).
Dadal and Elen were both confirmed at sacrament meeting yesterday. Woo! Things are moving out here. And they're both strong and firm in the church now. They really were converted de verdade. It has been really cool to participate in their conversion, even in such a small way.
Last night we had dinner with Cristiane and Fernando, that couple I mentioned a few weeks ago whose son is currently living in Utah. They've been going to church for the last few weeks in another ward, and we haven't had very much contact with them since they were just kind of being our friends instead of actually investigating the Church. I still don't really know how it happened, but Fernando expressed interest last night in being baptized. We started chatting about the Church and why they have been going and everything, and he just kind of blurted it out. Cristiane is a little more hesitant because she doesn't think she's ready to change yet. Buuuuuut, now they have agreed to let us go by there with the clear intent to prepare them for baptism. This could be huge. I think it would be awesome if their son baptized them when he comes home next month. We'll see what happens.
That's pretty much it for this week. We're just trying to find new people to teach and stuff. I'll try to think of something more interesting to write about next week, kay?
Oh, I have to register for BYU classes on Friday. My mission president said I could just do it all here, but I don't know what I want to study or major in or anything, and I'm a little stressed out and nervous about signing up for classes. Any help?
I'll send you guys a few photos to make this email cooler.
The first one is of me making a matter-of-fact, Jim-from-The-Office face when I made a year and six months.
The second one is from when we were walking back to Américo from a nearby city called Santa Lúcia. We ended up getting a ride from a member who drove by.
Okay, I love you guys! The Church is true! I'm happy, and I hope you are too!
luv
elder wiggins
From one morning to the next
March 21, 2011
Today is Américo Brasiliense's anniversary, so the whole city is shut down. My comp and I took the bus to Araraquara, ate at Subway (there's one close by, can you believe it?!), and now we're doing the email thing. How are all you guys doing back home? I imagine that it's starting to warm up a little bit back in the real world, but here in the Matrix it's starting to cool off.
Big news this week: Transfers are today! Woo! But my companion and I are both staying in Américo, so it turned out pretty anticlimactic; actually, almost our entire zone stayed where they were, so there's that. Elder Harris, my companion from around Christmastime who is now a financial secretary, called me at 6:40 this morning and told me I was being emergency transferred. But then it turned out to be an unsavory joke. So, we're all still here.
Much bigger news: we baptized yesterday! Woo! Na verdade, for the first time in my mission, we baptized two people on the same day! We baptized Dadal, that woman that I mentioned last week, and a fifteen-year-old girl named Elen.
It was actually pretty insane because Dadal has a bunch of family members in the Church and has seen tons of missionaries come and go over the years. She has even been to General Conference (only two more weeks, by the way!) and to some branch activities here. I honestly don't know what we did differently than any other elders -- if we did anything differently in the first place -- I guess Dadal's time to get baptized had simply come. Dunno. It was really cool, though.
It's also pretty cool how we came into contact with Elen. We were just walking around the city and making contacts during our first or second week here, and I walked by a big morena lady (is it politically incorrect to call her "black"? I don't remember anymore) and said hi to her. She said hello back and was so nice that I just kind of did a 180 and contacted her. That lady's name is Maria (surprise), and Elen is her granddaughter. It turns out that Elen already knew quite a few of the branch members, so it all worked out really well. And now we're going to try to go after the rest of the family. It's just hard because their family, just like everyone else's, is not very united; at least, it's almost impossible to find everyone at home at the same time.
There was actually a third baptism yesterday, but it kind of fell apart. And I still kind of feel like it was my fault. There's a family in the branch whose son Lucas is eight years old and still hadn't been baptized. We had to go and teach him a few things so he could get baptized this week. I'm guessing he chose me to baptize him because there's no father in the family; I don't know why else he would have picked me. Anyway, we were the last ones in the "baptismal font" (it's a small, above-ground pool) yesterday. The water was pretty cold, and when I baptized Lucas, a tiny little part of his head didn't quite go under. And I think he got water up his nose. Anyway, we had to do it again, but as soon as he came out of the water, he said he didn't want to do it again and everyone tried to convince him to just do it really fast but he just wouldn't and I felt really embarrassed and I'm sorry! Anyway, I guess someone will have to baptize him this coming Sunday.
Elder Gillespie always said that there's no such thing as a perfect baptism, and it's really true. The little fiasco with Lucas kind of put a damper on the two baptisms we did have. But now I'm deciding to try and just shake it off. Sei lá.
Did you guys know that President Obama is in Brasil? He was, anyway. Don't know if he still is. People have been talking about it quite a bit.
Anyway, that was this week. Oh, I also made a year and six months this week. But I think I talked about that in my last email. It wasn't that big a deal. I have been on my mission for a long time.
That's all. I love you guys! Tchauzão!
booga
Today is Américo Brasiliense's anniversary, so the whole city is shut down. My comp and I took the bus to Araraquara, ate at Subway (there's one close by, can you believe it?!), and now we're doing the email thing. How are all you guys doing back home? I imagine that it's starting to warm up a little bit back in the real world, but here in the Matrix it's starting to cool off.
Big news this week: Transfers are today! Woo! But my companion and I are both staying in Américo, so it turned out pretty anticlimactic; actually, almost our entire zone stayed where they were, so there's that. Elder Harris, my companion from around Christmastime who is now a financial secretary, called me at 6:40 this morning and told me I was being emergency transferred. But then it turned out to be an unsavory joke. So, we're all still here.
Much bigger news: we baptized yesterday! Woo! Na verdade, for the first time in my mission, we baptized two people on the same day! We baptized Dadal, that woman that I mentioned last week, and a fifteen-year-old girl named Elen.
It was actually pretty insane because Dadal has a bunch of family members in the Church and has seen tons of missionaries come and go over the years. She has even been to General Conference (only two more weeks, by the way!) and to some branch activities here. I honestly don't know what we did differently than any other elders -- if we did anything differently in the first place -- I guess Dadal's time to get baptized had simply come. Dunno. It was really cool, though.
It's also pretty cool how we came into contact with Elen. We were just walking around the city and making contacts during our first or second week here, and I walked by a big morena lady (is it politically incorrect to call her "black"? I don't remember anymore) and said hi to her. She said hello back and was so nice that I just kind of did a 180 and contacted her. That lady's name is Maria (surprise), and Elen is her granddaughter. It turns out that Elen already knew quite a few of the branch members, so it all worked out really well. And now we're going to try to go after the rest of the family. It's just hard because their family, just like everyone else's, is not very united; at least, it's almost impossible to find everyone at home at the same time.
There was actually a third baptism yesterday, but it kind of fell apart. And I still kind of feel like it was my fault. There's a family in the branch whose son Lucas is eight years old and still hadn't been baptized. We had to go and teach him a few things so he could get baptized this week. I'm guessing he chose me to baptize him because there's no father in the family; I don't know why else he would have picked me. Anyway, we were the last ones in the "baptismal font" (it's a small, above-ground pool) yesterday. The water was pretty cold, and when I baptized Lucas, a tiny little part of his head didn't quite go under. And I think he got water up his nose. Anyway, we had to do it again, but as soon as he came out of the water, he said he didn't want to do it again and everyone tried to convince him to just do it really fast but he just wouldn't and I felt really embarrassed and I'm sorry! Anyway, I guess someone will have to baptize him this coming Sunday.
Elder Gillespie always said that there's no such thing as a perfect baptism, and it's really true. The little fiasco with Lucas kind of put a damper on the two baptisms we did have. But now I'm deciding to try and just shake it off. Sei lá.
Did you guys know that President Obama is in Brasil? He was, anyway. Don't know if he still is. People have been talking about it quite a bit.
Anyway, that was this week. Oh, I also made a year and six months this week. But I think I talked about that in my last email. It wasn't that big a deal. I have been on my mission for a long time.
That's all. I love you guys! Tchauzão!
booga
Man, it passes right by me, it's behind me, now it's gone
March 14, 2011
Oi família, tudo bem! How are you guys doing today?
This week was pretty great, I think. Our work here in Américo has been improving a lot. It helps that the rain has stopped -- I had never seen so much water in my life! And it stopped at just the right time, because the umbrella that I bought about two weeks ago is already destroyed. Bummer. Anyway, it has been much easier for us to get around and teach people, and we actually have some investigators that are progressing.
Dadal is the mother of two young girls who are members of the Church, and she is also related to a few other members of the branch. The branch president challenged her to be baptized, so we have been teaching her like crazy. And she accepted baptism for this Sunday! Woo! She's going to be interviewed on Thursday! Woo!
Cristiane and Fernando are a thirtysomething couple who have been taught a few times by multiple missionaries over the course of the last few years. They have a sixteen-year-old son who is a member and currently living in UTAH. I guess he managed to get a six-month visa and has been there since November. He loves os States so much that he wants to study at BYU after he graduates. Fernando and Cristiane are about the nicest people I've ever met -- I have still have never been to their house without being offered dinner. We're trying to help them progress and gain testimonies and get baptized and all that other important stuff. It's hard to teach them because they are already the missionaries' permanent friends, but we'll see what happens.
So yeah, I'm still the branch organist. I want to start giving piano lessons to people, but it's hard to find the time for that kind of thing. I have been getting Mococa flashbacks (that was my first area) because the organ here is the same piece of junk that they had there. It's not even a full keyboard; it's kind of split in the middle and stacked crookedly one half on top of the other. And it sounds like an old Nintendo. But the members of the branch here sing nice and loud, so you can hardly notice that the accompaniment sounds like an old Megaman soundtrack.
All is well comigo. We're working hard and getting stuff done. Don't tell anyone, but in two days I will hit the year and a half mark on my mission. Does that just blow your mind into a million pieces?! I'm trying not to think about time, because I don't want to go home. Also, when do I need to register for BYU? Tell me if you want, or don't.
I love you! The Church is true!
luv
booga
Oi família, tudo bem! How are you guys doing today?
This week was pretty great, I think. Our work here in Américo has been improving a lot. It helps that the rain has stopped -- I had never seen so much water in my life! And it stopped at just the right time, because the umbrella that I bought about two weeks ago is already destroyed. Bummer. Anyway, it has been much easier for us to get around and teach people, and we actually have some investigators that are progressing.
Dadal is the mother of two young girls who are members of the Church, and she is also related to a few other members of the branch. The branch president challenged her to be baptized, so we have been teaching her like crazy. And she accepted baptism for this Sunday! Woo! She's going to be interviewed on Thursday! Woo!
Cristiane and Fernando are a thirtysomething couple who have been taught a few times by multiple missionaries over the course of the last few years. They have a sixteen-year-old son who is a member and currently living in UTAH. I guess he managed to get a six-month visa and has been there since November. He loves os States so much that he wants to study at BYU after he graduates. Fernando and Cristiane are about the nicest people I've ever met -- I have still have never been to their house without being offered dinner. We're trying to help them progress and gain testimonies and get baptized and all that other important stuff. It's hard to teach them because they are already the missionaries' permanent friends, but we'll see what happens.
So yeah, I'm still the branch organist. I want to start giving piano lessons to people, but it's hard to find the time for that kind of thing. I have been getting Mococa flashbacks (that was my first area) because the organ here is the same piece of junk that they had there. It's not even a full keyboard; it's kind of split in the middle and stacked crookedly one half on top of the other. And it sounds like an old Nintendo. But the members of the branch here sing nice and loud, so you can hardly notice that the accompaniment sounds like an old Megaman soundtrack.
All is well comigo. We're working hard and getting stuff done. Don't tell anyone, but in two days I will hit the year and a half mark on my mission. Does that just blow your mind into a million pieces?! I'm trying not to think about time, because I don't want to go home. Also, when do I need to register for BYU? Tell me if you want, or don't.
I love you! The Church is true!
luv
booga
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