July27th, 2014

Família! 

This week was super good! But super cold! hahaha I thought that the cold would never come! It was raining a lot and the temp. was super low! But it was a nice change. It was funny we would go to teach people and they would be all cuddled up in their biggest blankets with just their faces showing. It is pretty funny! For the baptism this week we boiled some water and mixed it in with the water that was in the baptism font. I dont think it made too much of a difference. 

This week we were really focused on how we can better follow the Spirit. We did the usual routine of praying were to knock doors and we did that. When we got to the road we didn't have any luck. But I knew that there was at least someone on that street that would let us in and accept our invitations. When we got to a door we almost just moved on but got that feeling like we should knock anyway. We knocked the door and a woman came to the door. We told her that we were missionaries of the ........ and that we had a message really special that we wanted to share with her. Then she said like what? We talked a little about prophets and apostles.... Then she asked What do I need to be saved? Then we started to teach her about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She started getting teary eyed and said that the exact moment we knocked on her door she was praying to God to send her angels to show her the way. We didn't know if we should cry with her or starting screaming in excitement! It was really awesome! She is super smart in the scriptures. She sleeps about 1 hour every day and so she studies A LOT! The good thing is that this is the true Church so there is nothing to hide or to be worry about! With only one week knowing her there is already many awesome stories! 

This sunday all the classes and meetings were perfect for her! She really loved it! The talks were nearly directly toward her! We will put her on date this week! 

This week we will go to the court house to get a family that we are teaching married. Unfortunately it will be 20 days of process time. And all the papers have to be perfect. If any of the documents are hard to read, they have to have someone mail them to them. Its a rough process, but it will all be worth it! 

wow Hawaii.... That is way awesome! hahaha That will be something that he will remember for the rest of his life! He better take a bunch of pictures. Or at least visit the temple or something! That is way awesome for him! hahaha Looks like I will have to chose my friends wisely when I get home! hahaha 

I am always praying for you and I always feel your prayers and strength! I am so grateful to hear that my family is doing so well and so strong. That is really good for a missionary to hear! Keep it up!

One of the greatest commandments to keep is to endure to the end. If we don't endure to the end it doesn't matter how much we did before we fail, because we failed. We didn't finish. If the worlds fastest runner runs a race and is ahead, but just before the finish line they stop, they wont receive recognition for being in the front during the race. They we receive regrets for not finishing in first! 

Thank you for everything! I  love you all! I am so grateful for such wonderful family and friends! 

Love, 

Elder Wild

July 20th

Thats a pretty awesome video! Thanks for sending that! 

This week was super good! We have been doing lots of work and been working with a lot of families that have been coming to church. We are pushing them to get married so that they can be baptized. Every week we have a ton of investigators in the Church, now we just have to work to get all these investigators coming back! 

We have been working with Diane and her family. They are all pretty awesome! I really like going over to their house and teaching. Their daughter was baptized this weekend and it was really awesome. They will be getting married this weekend and they will be able to be baptized shortly after. I am way excited for it! This week we found out why Diane let us in. It is pretty cool. We prayed about where to knock doors and then when we knocked her door I got the prompting to talk super excited and happy! The other day she said that she was super tired that day and she would not of let us in but because I was excited she knew that it was important. It is pretty awesome to see just listen to the spirit on how I should talk made a huge difference. 

The other baptism this week was from a little brother of our recent convert. It was pretty fun teaching him. Everyday we would have to play a game of hide and go seek for him to listen to us. It was not because he didn't want to be taught but because he thought it was funny! hahaha It was a good baptism! The mom is loving the church. She comes every week. She really wants to get baptized. She justs needs to get married first. They have almost 30 years together but it is difficult to convince the husband to get married. 

This week a missionary from the branch came home. It was super cool to see how happy his family was to see him. Everyone in the branch was super excited. There was a big party for him with lots of food, but we were fasting so we didn't eat anything. 

This week the members of Rio Verde will go to temple. Unfortunately we will never have that opportunity to go on the mission.... but they will bring me back some stuff from the visitor center. (garments and other stuff) 

This week was super hot so I bought some sunscreen. It is a bit expensive here but it is probably a tad cheaper than treatment for skin cancer. It is a good motivation to use sunscreen! 

This week I finished the Pearl of Great Price and I will start studying the Old Testament. It is really neat using studying the Bible because it strengthens my testimony on the Church. All the doctrines of the church are in the scriptures. I was reading a part in the old testament the other day and it talked about a sea of water in the tabernacle sitting on top of 12 oxen. Reading the New Testament especially strengthens my testimony on how there really was a Church of Jesus Christ in the days of Christ. The scriptures really are amazing! We can learn so much from them and they can be a solution to all our problems and answers to all our questions. 

Thank you very much for all your prayers and everything that you do for me! 

Love, 

Elder Wild

July 14th, 2014

That is super good to hear about the work in the temple! Keep it up! All the branches here in Rio Verde will go to the temple in 2 weeks. I will probably ask them to bring me back some stuff at the distribution center. It is a lot cheaper here to buy things than to have you send them. For example garments are 1.67 and that in the Real. (50cents) Its pretty cheap! 

The work here is going really good! We have found a few families this week. They have been all helping us gain some more unneeded weight. Every appointement that we have we try to run out the door but they have already premade something for us to eat. One day we ate a meal in every house that we went by. By the end of the day we felt so sick. haha but at least we are getting fed! I hear of some missions that it is hard to be full and they always have hunger. It is a blessing to be serving here. 

This week we had a meeting with the branch president. He is a really awesome guy. He told us the story about rio verde. He was baptized when the church was first starting here. He talked about how he wanted to split off from the center branch to make to Popular Branch, everyone told him that it wouldn't work and that they needed to wait some time. (at the time only had 5 priesthood holders) But they did it anyway and now Popular Branch is the strongest branch in the city with a attendance of 140 with 30 priesthood. It is super possible. If Peter could baptize 3000 in one day, why cant we baptize 80 in almost 3 months? To have miracles, we need to have faith. 

Now the Branch president has a vision of getting us qualified to be a stake so our branch has a goal of 80 baptisms in 2 1/2 months! and a attendance of 200! So these next two months will be running from appointment to appointment to not lose any time. I hope that I will stay here at least till the end of september! This is a really good area. It is super fun! 

It is really cool to see all the people excited to make a stake here. The members are always helping us out and giving references. 

This week there will be a rodeo. It is the 3rd biggest rodeo in Brazil. They have this huge stadium that they built up! We probably wont have the opportunity to attend. But we will probably hear it at night. 

Well I hope things are going well there! I love you all a lot! 

Elder Wild

July 8, 2014

Hey Family! 

Happy 4th! I bet it was pretty fun! Boating fireworks and all that! I wore a red white and blue tie on the 4th. That was about all we did for the fourth but it was still fun to remember!

This week was super good. We have been teaching this guy named Davi. We found him knocking doors. It was one of those doors that we thought well just one more door and then we will call it a night. We knocked on his door and he let us right it. He asked us about our doctrine then we taught him and he accepted to be baptized that day. He went to church and it was all good! He liked Church a lot and wanted to get baptized even more! Just that the day of the baptism interview he went to a friends house and watched a preacher film about Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. He didn't want to be baptized after that. So we had to explain and show in the scriptures all the questions that he had. Before the interview he had a page of questions for us! They were all super hard but..... He got baptized the next day! 

He was super happy after the baptism! 

Also a few weeks ago we found this family that is the process of getting married! They are super awesome and they always make a really good dinner for us! The daughters of the family are these two little girls who are super funny. They were talking to their grandma about the church and invited her. Her grandma said that she already had a religion. Then the daughter asked: `Does your church have missionaries?` the grandma said`Yes`. Then the daughter said `well my missionaries visit me!` hahahaha The family is really neat! She likes to make these flipflops and she wants to make you a pair! She needs to know your shoe size... 

We had transfers this week too... but I will stay another 6 weeks here with Elder Hopkins! I am super excited! We will work pretty good together and teach well together. 

This week I have been studying the conference talks! they are so good! They are also super applicable to other people! We can use the talks for every investigator! 

I really liked the talk about the family History. I also read this week the last section in doctrine and covenants. It talked about the work in the spirit world. Joseph F. Smith talked a lot about how important the temple work is. It is really good to hear that Jenna is doing so much family history. It is something that I want to do when I get home. 

Well I am dying in this lan house right now. It  is about 100 degrees with a bunch of little kids that haven't taken a shower in a few days... so I cant think super well right now! But this week was good! We had a lot of baptisms in the branch this week! It got the members really excited to do work! 

Don't hesitate to have the missionaries come over and teach your neighbor. That is what they were called to do and why they are there! You will be so happy with the work that they will do! They will know exactly what to say too! 

Thank you very much for everything! I love you all very much and I hope that you have a super good week!  

Elder Wild

PS I took this foto at one year! I even wore the tie that I came out with! It was pretty funny to think: one year ago I was on horsetooth rock with andre and george, one year ago I was playing badmitten in the backyard, one year ago I was in the bank waiting for dad to get there, one year ago I was walking away from my family for two years.... It is pretty crazy to think that it has been one year already! 

June 30, 2014

Family, 

It was super quick week! These days always pass by so fast! We were super rushed but thats a good thing! We are still teaching a lot and bringing a lot of people to the church. This week we had district conference (stake conference) and it was super good. There were so many people that all the missionaries had to sit in the nursing room and listen to the conference. Every few minutes we would have to leave to let a mom nurse her baby. But it was a good conference. 

The World Cup still has a few weeks. We just stay in our house during the brazil games and after. After the games is worse than during because there are a lot of crazy people out on the streets still celebrating. But it is cool on game day because EVERYONE is wearing a yellow shirt. It is good to see the unity! 

This week I got the conference ensign. I love reading the talks again especially because they are so useful to apply to the people we teach and think about. In just a few days I am already into the saturday afternoon session. This is the reason why our Church is good, because the prophet sees what he needs to tell us and what can help us in that moment. It is such a blessing to have modern day revelation that talk about the problems in todays world. 

The craziest question that we got this week was that: where in the Bible does it say we have to be married in the court house? We showed him everything and every scripture that had to do with marrige and the law, but his heart was still a little stiff. hhahahaha. This is when he needs to except the council from a modern day prophet that says marrige is between a man and a women LEGALLY married! 

Way to go on the family History! I am glad that you guys are doing that! It is super important! 

When I come home that is something that I want to do different is get more into the family history. IN confernece this weekend he talked about there are two sides of rescuing. Those that are living (nonmember and less active) and those who have already passed. It will be a good feeling when we return to have our family waiting with open arms to recieve us. 

Sorry the note is so short today, but I am super glad that you guys got the package. I will try to send another in the next few weeks. 

Love you lots! Know that I pray for you and that I am so grateful for all of you! It is so awesome to be able to come to the Lan House every week and know that I have a family on the other end! Have a super good week! 

Elder Wild

June 23 2014 One Year Out!

Family! 

This week was so crazy!!!! It was super awesome! 

It was a rough week to go by. We had an activity planned to bring the investiagors to church. It was the same activity that you guys did a few weeks ago more or less. But we did it and had 42 investigators in Church on sunday! hahaha it was pretty awesome! Afterwards the people in the ward made a giant lunch for everyone. It was pretty cool! 

We are working a lot and we are always tired! But I guess that is a good thing! We had another baptism this week and it was pretty cool! Her name is Monica and she is doing super well. Because we have District Conference this next week we wont have any baptism meetings, but we already have people lined up for the next week. 

You said that it should be gettng cooler here. The difference between the winter and the summer her is it is that it is super super hot or just super hot! haha It is still pretty hot but right now it is bearable. 

Now for the questions....

1) What has been the very best thing about serving your mission?

Just being here seeing that what we do makes a difference in peoples lives. It is pretty awesome to see the changes and everything. 

2) What scripture has become your favorite?

Jacob 5. It talks about the world before Christ, after Christ, the apostacy, and our days now. Super good

3) What have you enjoyed most about tracting?

I love praying on where to go, we choose a street, go there, knock doors, and find the people ready to except the gospel. On every street that the Lord chooses, there is at least one person waiting. 

4) What was your funniest memory of this last year?

One of my companions taking a laxative and the effect didnt come until the day after when we were eating lunch. hahahahaha 

5) What has been the most embarrassing thing to happen to you as a missionary?

I was picking up a heavy box of books for the bishop in our my first area and my pants split and i didnt know how to explain what happened so I had to show that my pants ripped. (I got them mended)

6) What do you miss most from home?

The hounds. I saw a dog the other day that was exactly like Jersey and Jed but with a lot more hair. It was pretty awesome! and my family!

7) What is your favorite p-day activity?

Because we cant play soccer, we just have a goalie and someone to shoot the ball. That is the best

8) What has been the most difficult thing, but something you felt you've been able to overcome on your mission?

The language definately. 

9) How has your testimony of Jesus Christ changed by being a full time missionary?

That really through Him, we can do anything. This is His work. And that no matter what a person does, they are still a son or daughter of God and that they came to the Earth with the same purpose that we did: To return and live in His presence as a family.  And that we are not to deny the blessing of the Restored Gospel to anyone. 

10) What will you tell others is the best way to prepare for a mission?

Decide to go. and Read the Book of Mormon as many times as you can. 

We are finding a lot of people to teach and help them have a better life. It is such a good experience! It is something that I will never regret. It really is the best thing in the World! 

Love you all!!!

Elder Wild
PS Thank you again for the pictures! They were awesome! I forgot to say that the Nelson Farm Christmas package came! Thank you very much! I loved it a lot! It was so nice to read everyone's cards! 

Thank you for being so positive in these tough times! It really helps me out to know my family is happy still! 

June 16th, 2014

Oi família!!! 

This week was super fun and super hard working! It was cool, our zone leader told us that Satan would work more hard during the Cup so we should take this opportunity to work even more hard! We found some super good investigators this week. If we would have gone into the week thinking all is lost because people would be tuned into the cup 24/7 then that is exactly what would happen. So we just worked super hard and still brought tons of people to church. Normally we have to go wake everyone up before church starts, but we didnt have time this week because we had a baptism before church, but everyone still came to church. During the actual game of Brazil we go back to our house and just study or clean the house. I also took the time to learn a few more talents. This week I learned how to play the piano and played the hymns this week in sacrament meeting. haha never thought I would be the ward pianist in my life. hahaha 

The ward members here are super good, whenever they see someone new, they always just take them on a tour of the church and show them all the rooms and explain everything! It is pretty awesome to see that! 

These past few weeks I had been studying really hard in the Bible and this week all this studying paid off. We had about 15 minutes before going back to the house and we just thought to knock a few doors close to our house. He and his wife let us in and we started talking and sharing the restoration. He studied the Bible really hard before and tons of other stuff. Because I had studied the Bible pretty hard these last weeks I saw the promisse of Doctrine and Covenants be fullfilled. 

 21 Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word,and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shallhave my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto theconvincing of men.

He believed in everything that we taught him because we showed him the evidence of our message in the scriptures. It was pretty neat. He went to Church this week and he said he will read through the Book of Mormon quickly. 

I really am grateful to be here in Brazil serving. It is a blessing to be hear. I am grateful for my family that supports me too. 

I will always pray for you guys!

Love, 

Elder Wild

O I forgot one thing.... because visas are really hard to come by in Brazil the Church always sends the missionaries home a little sooner then the full two years so that other missionaries can come in. I am not sure how it will work or when I will come home but my certificate of being a minister expires June 16th. 2015....... one year today!!! 

But I will cross that bridge when I get there. hahaha

Love you GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!