April 29, 2013

ola boa tarde minha querida familia!!!! ta fixe?

hey there y'all it was great to hear from ya!!! I cant believe Alec is already back home!!!! Be sure to give him a big hug and a juicy kiss for me:) ha ha you guys just pick at my heart strings sometime. Thanks for all the letters. It sounds like it was a pretty dang good week.

This week went super well for us all also!!! We actually got a lot of divisions done with some of our district leaders. First off this week we had a division with Elder Walker and Elder Chandler. I stayed in our area with elder Walker. If you don't remember, Elder Walker is actually my father on the mission and only has 2 and a half weeks left!!! We had a lot of fun together and had some really spiritually lesson, ya we still got it:) Then on Friday, we had another division with the elders over in Viana, Elder Chatwin and Whitaker. So on this one I was able to leave the area and go work in their area with elder Chatwin. It was quite a bit of fun to go around with elder Chatwin.  he honestly reminds me a lot of Alec, playful, happy, loving kind of a guy. We actually had a really good conversation during our daily planning that night. He was asking me what I would have done a little different and what suggestions I had for him. He is just such a humble missionary and will do a lot of great things here in Angola. While I was there I interviewed one of there baptismal candidates named Lala. Lala is only has 9 years and has a lot of family in the church. She had a lot of really cute answers to the baptismal questions:) As soon as we got done with that division it was onto another one with Luanda 2 on Saturday.  We went directly to where we were going to meet the other elders. Elder Harper and I literally had 40 min to correlate before we started the next division. It was with Elder Wilson and Macun. Elder Wilson went with me in our area. It was so much fun. Elder Wilson Is one of the most laid back guys I have met. It was so nice to talk with him.

This week we also watched general conference!!! Ya Harper and I couldn't hear anything because we gave our seats to a couple that we are teaching and the rest of the chapel was full so we stayed outside in the hallway and helped direct some people as they walked in. I hope we get the written here soon:) but from what we could hear was just amazing!! I am so thankful to have the words of the prophet and the apostles.

So that was pretty much our week but I hope you all have a wonderful week!!!!! Que Deus vos abençoe!!!!

Elder Wilhelm

April 22, 2013

Dear family!!!

Hey thanks so much for all of your letters this week! I really love hearing from you. It sounds like you are all doing well and still kicken. Thanks dad so much for the updates on all the missionaries coming out of good ol saint johns. I can't believe how many people are going out now it is just so cool to see all my little high school buddies going out on mission.

This week was so amazing here in Angola. Today we are actually at presidents house because sister Tompson offered to teach us how to make bread. I love this woman:) so All of our beating on doors is finally paying off!!! During this week we acquired 4 new families to our teaching pool. Two of the set are actually married too!!! Elder Harper and I are doing so much walking that we both started to get blisters on our feet and the soles in my shoes are pretty much gone so I weren't and took the sole out of my tennis shoes and starting to get those worn out also:) ha ha

 So there is this river that runs right in the middle of our area that is pretty small but when it rains it comes down and floods everything out in the area. On Wednesday we had to get across that river on our way to zone conference and normally there are limbs that lay across so that people have a place to get to the other side. The night before though we had had a storm blow in and take all of those little bridges out and a little increase in water level. So when we got down to the river we scanned the shore to find one but with no avail we looked for the narrowest part of the river to try and jump :) elder Harper and I kind of looked at each other and he said "if I jump you have to jump after me wether I make it across or not" :) ha ha laughingly I agreed and he took a few steps back and launched himself as far as he could to make it across. His hit the other side but then all the dirt that he landed on gave way and down he went up to almost his waist. Everyone that was around just started laughing and pointing fingers ha ha! I didn't think I would be able to make it so we went to a wider part of the river were I would walk across. About this time two elders from our house came down the hill trying to find a way across so to get across I was already a little wet so I put one of them on my back and carried him across to the other side the I went back to go get his companion who had pulled his camera out and was starting to film the whole ordeal. ha ha So I threw him on my back and we went across:) ha ha coming in a year or so you will probably see that film on face book!

Our zone conference went fine. W at least we got though it alive:) ha ha but it was a lot of fun and we got a lot of commentary out of the other elders, so it went great other than being soaking wet.

So ya that was pretty much the week but you all have a good one. Love you all!!!

Elder Wilhelm

April 15, 2013

querida familia

Hey Everyone!!!!! Just another week of amazing Angola! Thanks to all that wrote I love hearing from you all and It helps me so much to get excited for the work. It is so cool that Amanda decided to go on a mission!!! she Will love working in the temple, and to be totally honest I am a little Jealous..

So nothing just crazy happened this week, but as always it was very awarding. Elder Harper and I are doing a ton of finding. This area is just so much different than my last area.  It's almost a little strange. All of the roads are covered with sand and all the houses are nice. ha ha but we have found some really amazing families.

Elder Harper and I, during this next week, will be giving a training during this next zone conference for like an hour and a half. Sheee.... I can hardly sit in through meeting for that long let alone teach it. ha ha but it will be a really great experience. Our topic is based on president Monson's talk during the priesthood section. During that talk Pres. Monson focused on four main points: 1) study the scriptures often, 2) plan your life with purpose, 3) teach with testimony, and 4) serve the lord with love. Never done this before so we are just getting a bunch of material up and go through it into a pot and we will see what comes out:) We only got this topic a couple of days ago and the conference will be on Wed. ha ha so we are in a bit of a rush.

During this week a filmer of the church, Elder Harpers uncle, came to Luanda to film a few members and film one of the sacrament meetings. (under permission from the church). Anyways Elder Harper and I had the opportunity of going with him to Cassquel to translate for him and help him film and mormon message. We got to film a used to be less active that both elder Harper and I had taught before names Lirio. I have already talked about him like a year ago. ha ha but just to review Lirio had a lot of problems and really needed some help, so the missionaries got in contact with him a little over a year ago. This year he has completely switched his life around and is now going to be married, is the first counselor in the elders quorum and helps in many aspects of the church. It was way cool to see it all. so who knows maybe one of these days you will see a black guy named Lirio on the church website:)

Other than that not a whole lot had happened.  I love you all so much and wish you a wonderful week.

Elder Wilhelm

April 8, 2013

Hey fam!!!!!

Thank you for all your letters!!!! I love hearing from you all so much:) It sounds like everything is ~going great from those that I heard from. Mom,dad that makes me so jealous that you got to go up to conference!!! and see Elder Davis!!! gosh I will miss that guy. and dad congratulations on the best dad of the year award:) ha ha

Ya so this week was pretty overwhelming but super rewarding. I am so happy to be working with elder Harper, he is such a stud!!! He is ~just such a patient and humble guy, but not afraid to open his mouth to proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Harper will teach me so much, and he only has like 3 months left.

Yesterday all of the Elders in Luanda had the chance to watch the priesthood session of general conference. We all went over to an american couples house (the Reedy) where we had fun, laughed a little bit, watched general conference, and then did some more laughing, and some snacks that sister Thompson and Reedy provided for us. As usual, I think the priesthood session was the best, but I really can't  say anything because I didn't get to see the rest of general conference:) In a couple of weeks we will receive all of the sessions. Now it is just a waiting game.

The new area is pretty sick!!! The only problem is the area is also in one of those finding stages that I am so well accustomed to, but the work goes forward and I still have a smile on my face:) This area actually has some of the most prepared people I have ever met. Before I was in an area with a lot of building and a lot of businesses. Now I am in the area were all the people who were working in my old area live here, ha ha. It is almost Ironic. We have this one lady named Joia that has been talking to us for about a month now and she will be getting baptized soon. She told us that she was always a little nervous with the missionaries over at her house, but that she decided to pray about it and she heard a voice three times saying "You need to be baptized." Yep The Holy Ghost has got our back:) ha ha

So that really is about it, but thank you all so much and I love you!!!!

Elder Wilhelm

April 1, 2013

Minha querida familia!!!!!

ola!!!!! well hey thanks all yall for all the letters! I just love hearing from you. You are all just such a great support to me:) I am jealous you all get to watch conference before I do though.... It will take a couple of weeks before they every get here. butttttttt enjoy it!!!!!!

So this week was a pretty cool week. We were able to find some really cool people! But first I guess I ought to tell you about the transfers........ I AM LEAVING!!! But you already knew that:) I am going to serve with Elder Harper as a zone leader in Benfica as a junior companion. Ya I am way excited to work with Elder Harper. He is an older missionary that I have always looked up to so it will be a great time and I will probably end up killing him because he only has 3 months left on his mission. Elder Dredge will be paired up with Elder Clifford(another missionary from the best state in the U.S.,arizona).

I am actually very sad to be leaving this area the more and more I think about it. After 9 months and 3 companions this Ol area just grew on me. It was really neat to see the progression of the branch and the area since the beginning. The relationships with the member and investigators Is one of the biggest things I will miss. I will also miss Elder Dredge a ton. He has probably one of the biggest influences in my mission so far. He has taught me far more things than I ever taught him. From every companion I feel like I learn one specific thing. From Elder Dredge it was obedience. Just to give you an example of how awesome he is. During the 4th or 5th week that he has been here we were reading in the missionary handbook together about being within sight and sound at all time except for special cases such as the bath room. After that he looked up at me and said "does that mean here in our house also?" I was kind of startled by the question and said "well I guess so." :) ha ha then for the rest of the night he proceeded to follow me around the house that consists of 3 rooms that are all connected:) He has been a amazing influence on me.

Our area is going Great. This past week we were starting to run low on investigators because we had to drop a few. So we decided to do a special fast to be able to find some new families. The day after the fast this just started to fall into place. We ended up finding 3 new families and a few other really cool people. I am so sad that I have to leave this area!!!! We have this new investigator named Danielson who is just such a champ. He has actually been going to church at another branch for about 2 months now and nobody knew. He was also given a book of mormon by a friend and has read so much in it already.  So to say the least we decided to start talking to him:) haha This next time we will be giving him a baptismal date.

Well hey I love you all so much:) have a wonderful week!!!!

Elder Wilhelm