This town is full of monsters

February 14, 2011

I know that my email to you guys will look the same this week, but now it has a special scent of Américo Brasiliense. That's right: I was transferred today. That means that I'm in some scary new place with a scary new guy with no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going.

Sometimes the mission is scary.

I took a bus from Birigui to Ribeirão Preto at 11:50 last night. We made it to Ribeirão at around 5:30 this morning, and then I took another bus to get to here. I'm exhausted.

My new area is a little city called Américo Brasiliense, which is easily the weirdest name for a city that I've seen yet on my mission. It's basically a part of a bigger city called Araraquara (say that ten times fast), which is where the rest of the stake is located. The irmão who drove us here passed by the church on the way to the house. Actually, it's not really a church. It's more like a tiny little house on a corner. I still haven't gone in, but it looks teeeeeeeny tiny from the outside. I hear the Church has already purchased the spot for a chapel, so we need to work really hard to turn the branch into a ward. Or something.

My new companion's name is Elder Nobre. He's Brazilian. We don't really know each other yet, so I don't have much to report there. We're getting whitewashed in this area (that means we're both getting transferred here at the same time), so we both have a lot to learn.

Oh, the area that I just left is closed now. Actually, the last area I had been to before that was also closed this transfer. The mission is really struggling to keep areas open because there are so few new missionaries getting here. I'm bummed because we just baptized Franciele, and now she won't have the missionaries' support to keep her going.

It was hard to say goodbye. It seems like every time I get transferred, I see how much I came to love the place that I lived in, in spite of all the heartaches and difficulties. Like, I was pulling my hair out trying to get something to happen in my last area, but even still, I bawled as sacrament meeting was ending.

Funny story: I interviewed a 40-ish-year-old lady and her two little sons this week for baptism. They all passed and were baptized on Saturday. I found out later that the lady thought I was so flippin' beautiful that she couldn't even look at me during the interview because she was getting embarrassed. And then she asked me to baptize her. So I did! Woo!

Don't worry, though -- she would have been baptized either way. And I am still just another ugly dude.

Oh yeah, Happy Valentine's Day! And Happy Birthday (yesterday), Mom!! I love you!

Beijos

Elder Wiggins

We don't want to grow up, but we have to grow up

February 7, 2011

This week was kind of rough.

It seems like in the mission field, every once in a while you have one of those days where nothing happens. Like, you don't get rejected more than usual or have any really negative experiences -- you just go from the beginning of the day to the end, and when you get there, you don't really have anything to show for the last 24 hours. We had four of those in a row this week. Somehow we just kept having days where nothing happened. It has been so hard to try to get things moving in this area again.

Things are all right, though.

We had zone conference on Tuesday, which was wonderful. It gave me that spiritual boost, at least for a little while, that I needed to come back to Birigui and work. The assistants showed us a really cool video that shows the step by step process of making a vase out of a lump of clay, with the point being that we need to be flexible in the Lord's hands and allow Him to shape us. The mission leaders really know how to get you excited about missionary work.

Also, we found another rat in our house; actually, I think it was a mouse. My companion and I bought rat poison a few days ago to try to kill it gently, but that didn't work. We ended up killing it by force! I went out behind our house to wash one of my shirts, and my companion had left a blanket in the basin out there. When I pulled the blanket out, I saw some rate droppings in the sink, along with a little piece of the rat poison. Knowing that the rat had to be around there somewhere, I gave the blanket a good shake, and out fell the rat. Of course, I started screaming like a little girl as the rat scurried under our washing machine. My comp ended up killing it because it got stuck under there. So, yeah. It was pretty nasty. I could send you a picture of it, but I don't think that's necessary. I'll show you guys some other time.

Some of you guys sent me some questions to answer, so I guess I'll just answer them in here since I never have anything interesting to say. Here we go:

What is the best and worst thing about having companions?

The best part about having a companion is that you always have someone around to help you out when things get rough. That includes when you're going through a rough patch emotionally, when you're in the middle of a lesson, or when you just want to talk to someone. Actually, that's also kind of the worst part about having a companion: you always have someone around, even when you just want to be alone. I've gotten lucky with my companions though, so I can't really complain.

Are you able to wear short sleeved shirts in the hot weather?

Yeah, we only wear short sleeved shirts. I gave one of my long sleeved shirts to a 17-year-old recent convert here so he could go to church in nice clothes. He hasn't been to church since I gave it to him though (sad face). Also, if we had to wear long sleeved shirts in this weather, I would die. From melting.

Do you need/want anything American?

American deodorant is the best thing in the world. And I like American candy, crackers (Cheez Its!), and cereal. But I don't need anything, Brazilian or American.

What is your favorite gospel principle to teach or study?

I love studying about the Atonement and various Christlike attributes. I usually read a lot of Chapter 6 in Preach My Gospel (it's the one about Christlike attributes) when things are getting rough. Also, deep doctrine.

How do you like being in a leadership role ALL THE TIME? Is it becoming more second nature? (Does it ever get easier talking to strangers?)

I still feel like I haven't gotten used to being a district leader. It really hasn't been that different than being a senior companion, which probably means that I'm a pretty lousy district leader. I don't know. I like having the opportunity to talk to other missionaries and try to help them. I usually can think of multiple experiences from my mission that could help them out, which makes me realize that I actually have had strengthening experiences out here, which makes me happy. I like it. And yeah, it does get easier talking to strangers. At least, it does in Portuguese.

Do you have cars, bikes or just your legs for transportation?

I have ridden in a car a handful of times on my mission, but it's usually been in situations where members drove us the rest of the way as we were walking to church on Sunday or something. We don't have cars or bikes. No one in my mission does. We just have our feet! Also, because of my toe, I walk with socks and sandals now. Que chique!

Do you, like most missionaries I have talked to, have issues with sister missionaries?

Sisters are cool! Sometimes!

Do you ever get to go to the temple?

No. There isn't a temple in my mission, so I haven't been to the temple since I was in the CTM over a year ago. I miss going there.

What is your favorite Brazilian thing?

I don't know if any of you have heard of guaraná, but it's the best thing in the world. It's a soda that we drink all the time out here, and it has the flavor of a native Brazilian fruit called guaraná (duh). Every city has a different brand of guaraná, practically. My favorite brands are the national ones, though: Antarctica (probably the only brand you'll find back home), and Kuat (Coca-Cola's brand). Suuuuuuper good.

I also love natural fruit juice, which you can get in a lot of places out here. Like, they toss some fruit in a blender with sugar, ice, and a little water, blend it up and serve it. So good. I'll make you guys some guava and orange juice after the mission.

How do Brazilians handle sarcasm? Do they have any form of it?

Yeah, people are sarcastic, but I don't think it's as common as back home. Now that I think about it, I think American culture kind of encourages sarcasm and cynicism. Sometimes I say things sarcastically to my Brazilian companion and he looks at me like I'm an idiot. So...

How well do you speak Portuguese by now?

I can get by all right. There are still a bajillion things that I don't know, and there are a lot of other Americans in the mission who speak better than me, but I can understand everything that people say (except for a new word here and there), and I can usually get my point across when I need to. I have dreamed in Portuguese quite a few times, so there's that. Sei lá, cara.

Have you had anything particularly freaky to eat lately?

Lately, no. Being in the state of São Paulo means that the food we eat is usually pretty mild. Did I ever tell you guys about when I ate liver? I probably did since I never eat anything that weird.

Have you ever bashed with a minister/leader of another church?

We did lose about an hour this week because this old Jehovah's Witness wanted to chat with us. I have contacted some pastors before,and I kiiiiiiiiiiind of bashed with one a few months ago. It's kind of a waste of time, though, so I usually try to avoid it. A Catholic guy got pretty mad at me and my comp the other day because we talked a little about the Great Apostasy. He was kind of out of his mind.

Well, those questions made my email super long this week. Sorry if it got boring! I love you guys so dang much! The Church is true!

luv

boooooga

Mon, January 31, 2011 10:31:12 AM They don't know where and they don't know when it's coming

January 31, 2011

Hey, everyone!

So, remember that girl, Franciele, that I talked about last week? The one that we have been teaching forever? We baptized her on Friday! Wooooooo!

I still kind of can't believe that it happened. I have been teaching her since I was with my last companion more than a month ago. Most missionaries probably would have let her go a while ago, but we didn't give up on her! This week was actually really cool because of it. Preach My Gospel says that we should contact all of our investigators daily. Sometimes that's kind of impossible because a lot of the people we teach out here don't even realize that they are investigating the church. But anyway, we visited Franciele at the end of every day this week, and it seemed like the lessons we had there were spiritual enough to make up for the lackluster days. I love teaching people who at least kind of comprehend what you're telling them, especially if they appreciate the value of your message. It doesn't happen often, viu!

But yeah, we're kind of starting from zero now because Franciele was baptized. There are basically four stages in missionary work: finding people, teaching people, baptizing people, and strengthening recent converts. I have definitely spent the majority of my mission in the first two stages, but tudo bem. We're starting the whole cycle over again now. I think it's mostly because of the month or so that I was stuck in the house -- the work stopped for all that time, so we have to do everything we can to warm things back up and try to find someone new out here.

I'm attaching a photo from the baptism. Hope you like it.

Do you guys have any questions you want me to answer? I feel like I have run out of things to say in my emails home, probably because I've grown so used to being a missionary that things that are weird to you guys aren't weird to me anymore. For example, yesterday I contacted this round little old lady carrying a gardening hoe and a weird, gnarled root that she had just dug up somewhere. I just went up to her and we started chatting as if we had known each other for years. And, you know, that kind of stuff is normal now.

I guess my life has changed a lot.

Anyway, I'm doing well enough. I'm melting out here because of the heat. I don't know if I've ever felt so hot in my life. It is devilishly hot here. Also, I have a tanline on my feet because I walk around in flip flops all day. I don't know when I'll be able to wear real shoes again.

Anyway.

I love all of you so flippin' much! Thank you for writing me -- I appreciate it! The Church is true!

--Elder Wings

You've gotta be laid back -- rock to obscurity

January 24, 2011

Oi família, tudo bem!

So, good news: I can walk again! I went to the doctor on Thursday night and he took a look at it. He asked me if it was hurting, and when I said it wasn't, he decided I could walk again. He wrote me up a prescription that I still haven't picked up, so my toe will probably get infected and swollen and stuff, but I'm all like wutevs about it. We chatted for a little bit about America and stuff. And then I invited him to church. Good visit.

Anyway, I'm still wearing flip flops everywhere (like, even when I'm dressed like a missionary and teaching people and stuff), but at least I can get out of the house now. I was going so crazy in there, guys. Like, it was honestly kind of nice for the first few days to be able to relax and take naps and stuff, but that passed very quickly. I have learned that as a missionary, if you're not working, you have no purpose. There was nothing to do in the house during all this, so I have really been itching to go back to work. And now I just can't wait 'til I can wear shoes again. That will be a glorious day.

I actually spent most of this week in Ribeirão Preto. That's the biggest city in my mission, and it also houses the mission headquarters. This week we had a special conference for all of the zone and district leaders in the mission. I went from Birigüi to Ribeirão with another elder in my zone. We went there on Tuesday and didn't get back until Thursday evening because we didn't have money to buy our bus passes. I got to hang out in the new office for a while and chat with my last companion, who became a financial secretary at transfers. I had a good time at the conference and everything, but I felt a little discouraged because I wasn't working at the time. I've been feeling pretty useless lately. Things are better now, though, and I'm excited to go back to work now.

We had a really special teaching experience yesterday. Remember Franciele, that girl that we have been teaching for a good two months or more now? She was supposed to be baptized on Saturday, but it didn't really work out. It seems like she has gotten a little too much of the Church too quickly, so we decided yesterday to teach her the very basics. The mission is putting into practice a teaching method where we draw a timeline and explain the Restoration in context and use visuals to help people understand better. We took a member from the LZs ward to help us teach Franciele. He served his mission around the same time as Andrew and is really good at just talking to people. We all walked over to the chapel and taught Franciele there. Using a whiteboard, we were able to illustrate the Restoration in such a way that it was very simple and easy to understand. As we explained things, Franciele asked questions and we were able to settle her doubts and make her understand things better. We bore our testimonies, and the Spirit was strong.

After the lesson, Franciele said she wanted to see the baptismal font (that's a good sign). As we showed her around the chapel and chatted, she kept saying that she felt really happy and at peace with things (also a good sign). We were going to leave the church, but it started raining. The four of us were just standing in front of the chapel and waiting for things to calm down. The member who was with us, kind of out of nowhere, asked Franciele what hymn she wanted him to play at her baptism. And then he asked what time it was going to be on Saturday. And just kind of like that, she accepted baptism and now it's going to be on this Saturday at seven o'clock. I still don't really know what changed her mind about it, but I don't care. Franciele's getting baptized! Hooray! Finally!

I don't know if I adequately described that experience. I kind of feel like a caveman chizzling gibberish into a cave wall when I write in English. I not speak English more.

Anyway, that's what's going on! I love you guys! I love being a missionary! The Church is true!

Your son/brother/brother-in-law/uncle(?),

Elder Wiggins

Right coast, wrong coast, drifting round and round

January 17, 2011

Well, I'm still not working. I am going a little crazy from staying in the house all the time -- it feels like it has been so long since I was a regular missionary -- but everything's going well enough. My companion, Elder Ramos (HAH-moze), is a cool guy, but I think he's going a little crazy, too. We're both going a little crazy. If it weren't for the scriptures and my handy little chessboard, we already would have gone very crazy by now.

My toe is getting better, though, and I should be able to go back to work this Thursday. I hope.

The biggest news from this week is actually very big news indeed. My zone had our transfer-ly interviews with the mission president this week, so I talked to him about how college is going to work and everything. My group is supposed to go home on September 7th, which is the week after BYU starts. I told President that I'm here to serve my mission and I'll go home whenever I need to, but he said I could go home a little early to go back to school. He was thinking about giving me ten or fifteen days between getting home and starting college, but he didn't have his calendar with him at the time, so he left it in the air. Basically, I would stay for two or three weeks in my last transfer and then go home in the middle of it. Then, a few days later, he called me and asked what I thought about going home with the group before me, meaning that I'd go home a transfer early. By so doing, he said I will get to go home with a group of missionaries instead of going by myself, I can go through the temple one more time, I will go home at transfers instead of going in the middle of one, and I'll have a little more time to be with the family before going back to college!

Soooooo I'm coming home on July 27th. I'll basically have the month of August to transition into post-mission life and all that.

I can't believe how fast this mission thing is flying by. I made a year and four months yesterday, which blows my mind. I wish I could actually be out there in the white field and thrust in my sickle with my might and stuff. But I guess I just need to learn patience from this ordeal.

We're hoping to baptize a girl named Franciele this week. We have been teaching her for a long time now, and my companion taught her last night with one of our zone leaders, and apparently the visit went really well. She is worried that if she joins the church her family will abandon her. É complicado. We're praying hard and doing what we can to visit her regularly, and I hope and pray that everything will work out with her. As far as I'm concerned, if she gets baptized, my time in this area has been validated. So keep your fingers crossed!

Anyway, that's what's going on in Birigüi, São Paulo, Brasil. I hope things are going well in your respective places in the America.

I love you guys! The Church is true!

Elder Wiggins

We will not be the last, we will not be the last

January 10, 2011

Not much to report on this week.

I'm still under house arrest from the doctor. I was going to the health clinic every day to get my toe cleaned and my gauze changed, and I had been asking all the nurses when I would be able to go back to work and stuff. I got different answers from all of them. On my last day of doing curativo (I forgot what that would be in English), the nurse said I could already start working, as long as I wore open footwear. So on Friday, I actually got to work for a few hours. It felt pretty good, but I was definitely out of practice. It kind of felt weird to be a real missionary again.

As we walked, I noticed that my toe was bleeding a bit, which is exactly why I wasn't supposed to be walking: if I walk, my wound can bleed, which can bring about an infection, which would be bad. So we walked all the way to the health clinic, and I asked to speak with a doctor because the nurses don't know anything (seriously. they didn't even know why I was getting work done on my toe until I told them). And the doctor said I needed to stay in the house until at least Monday (today). I'm going to go back there today so he can take a look at my toe, but I don't know if I'll be allowed to go back to work or not.

So I've just been spending all my time going a little crazy at the house. My new companion is a cool guy, but I kind of wish I could speak English to someone; maybe that would take away some of the crazy in my head. I have just been reading Liahonas and the scriptures and stuff.

And that's all I have to say about that.

We have interviews with the mission president tomorrow, and I'm going to talk to him about when I'm going to go home to start school. Does anyone know what day BYU will start in the fall? It'd be good to know. Also, I can't believe that I'm already this close to the end of my mission. I make a year and four months in six days. Don't let me get trunky!

Anyway, that's all.

luv yoo guyz

elder booga

Been kickin' up sparks, now set the flames free

January 3, 2011

Hey everyone. Happy New Year! I can't believe that it's already 2011. I can now say that I will go home from my mission this year. Weird.

So, about an hour and a half after I sent my emails last week, I went to a little health clinic and had surgery done on the big toenail on my right foot. I was really nervous about it before going in. I waited with my companion in the hallway and talked to him and a few other patients who told me all about ingrown toenails and how bad they hurt and what the surgery would be like and all that. After about a half hour the doctor arrived and called me into the surgery room. He and a nurse did everything. They told me to lie down on my back on the operating table-bed thing. They started messing around with some syringes and stuff, so I nervously asked if they were going to give me anesthesia. They said yes and started to load my big toe with it. They gave me shots on both sides of my toenail in that really sensitive area of flesh. Honestly, those shots hurt more than the surgery. They sent me back into the hallway to wait while the anesthesia settled in.

They called me back in after some time and cut me open. I was lying on my back, so I couldn't see anything, but I asked the doctor if he had started cutting because I had felt something on my toe. He said he was just testing things, but it was a lie. He finished up without me knowing it and then asked if he could start. When I said that he could go ahead, he informed me that he had already finished. Anyway, the surgery didn't really hurt, but I definitely felt something. It was like a weird pressure down the center of my toenail. And I swear I could smell something burning during all of it.

I have to go back there every day to change my bandages and get my toe cleaned. I saw my toe for the first time the day after the surgery. I would send you guys a photo, but I don't have my camera with me -- I'll send one next week. Basically, I have a big nasty black hole where the right half of my toenail ought to be.

Because of the surgery, I haven't been allowed to walk much. The doctor told me that I have to stay off my feet for at least ten days, so my comp and I have been spending most of our time reading and stuff at our house. I've been catching up a lot on journal entries and things like that, but I'm going a little crazy. I just want to be able to use normal shoes and go back to being a normal missionary. I'm anxious to go back to work.

So, we got to watch Toy Story 3 on Wednesday after we ate pizza for dinner. President and the assistants came and did it all. The movie was awesome, even though we had to watch it in stupid Portuguese. Dubbed movies are so stupid. Anyway, it was a lot of fun.

The other news for this week is that we have transfers today. Elder Harris was transferred after spending three transfers in this area. He will make six months on the mission this week, and he was chosen to be the new financial secretary of the mission. I'm still a little flabbergasted by that, but whatever. We got along really well and had a lot of good times, but I'm sure it was for the best that he left. My new companion is named Elder Ramos. I still haven't met him yet, but everyone says he's really cool. He'll be the first Brazilian comp that I will have had since the beginning of June. I'm looking forward to getting better practice on my Portuguese and having the kinds of experiences that you don't get with Americans.

So, that's what's going on. I really can't wait to be able to work again, because I'm tired of reading and writing. I need to preach the gospel, dudes!

I'm doing well and trying my best to be a good missionary-o. I hope all is well back home and I wish you all a feliz ano novo!

luv

boooooga