12/31/12

Dear family!!!

WHAT!!!!!! Karen can not be home already! that is so cool:) I bet you
rocked it girl!!! Man It is weird to think you are already home. You
all better enjoy her while she is there because she will sair embora
pretty quick.

It was so great to see all of your shining faces in a box!!! I love
talking to all of you:) We just have the most beautiful family in the
world! And all those grand babies are so big!

Anyways this week was way sick!!! Quiet a bit actually happened. First
of all..... HIPOLITO GOT BAPTISED!!!!!! Man what a cool experience. He
asked me to baptism him. what a humbling experience it is to help
someone else make a covenant with our Heavenly Father. He was a little
nervous but after he felt awesome. That really isn't even the cool
part. During the confirmation he asked a member named Cordencio to
confirm him a member of the church. WOW That was probably one of the
most powerful confirmations I have ever stood in on. After church
Hipolito came up to me with red eye and said it is just like a fire
burning inside me:) what a cool experience! He will make an awesome
leader in the church and he will receive the Aronic priesthood next
week! He is just rockin it!

So yesterday Elder Eckman and I were just barely getting out of a
lesson with one of our investigators named Alex and were headed to our
last appointment. On our way there we got stopped by this guy who had
heard of the church over in Brazil. So we switch contacts and started
down the road when 3 big men started walking down the road to us. As
we neared them I started to feel strange and a feeling of urgency
slow crepted up on me. When the finally passed by my heart was pounding
and i just had a feeling of "Return home." Elder Eckman had had a
weird feeling to, but we continued on a little further to at least tell
the person that we wouldn't be able to pass by that night. From behind
us a young man on a bike greeted us in broken english. Usually I would
have just talked to him back in Portuguese and he probably wouldn't have
stopped, but I yelled out to him in english "good night my friend!"
Intrigued he stopped his bike and came back to the light post we were
under. We began speaking with him in Portuguese and talked about the
church. Close to the end of our conversation the sense of urgency
returned and every muscle in my body flexed ready for something. I
turned around slowly and those same 3 men that had passed were right
behind me. They looked at me then and elder Eckman and then at our new
friend. They continued their walk in the way we were headed. Elder
Eckman and I looked at each other and said "well we better get home."
I don't know what those men could have wanted from us nor do I want to
know, but If the spirit hadn't been guiding us to talk to the young man
or to return home it could have turned different. I am so grateful
for the safety that the Lord gives to those who are worthy to have the
spirit with them. He truly loves each and every one of us and as long
as we listen to those whisperings we shall always prevail over that
great destroyer.

Tomorrow we will have our pday because we have an activity planed as a
mission amanha. So today we are just writing letters and doing our
shopping. But this morning we have a very good lesson with one of our
new investigators named Mauro. Mauro is a paster from another church
as a matter of fact but has a big heart and an even bigger desire to
follow that which is right in this world. So today was our second
lesson with him. So we decided to talk about the Restoration. I have
never taught someone with so much knowledge in the bible. Everything
we would say hey would know and understand pretty much everything we
said. Although He was not contentious in any way. He actually knew
things that I would have never learned if it weren't for seminary and
my own personal study here. :) I know that will make bro Greer grin:)
After I got done explaining the restoration to the he looked at me
with a puzzled look. and just sat there for a few seconds thinking.
Then he made a connection and said "So if the church of christ was lost
to the world shortly after the death of Christ and then was restored
through the prophet Joseph Smith does that means not a single other
church in this world in right other than this..." He got silent again
and said "I will be totally honest with you. I have read from the Book
of Mormon and studied it, but I have never prayed about it to see if
this is true." Then Elder Eckman shared one of the most heartfelt
testimonies I have ever heard. The spirit had sunk into each one of
our hearts close to the point of tears for me. Mauro promised he
would pray. He is so ready for this message and is just a rockin
investigator. I love seeing the change in people:)

Anyways I love you all so much and I wish you all a happy new years!!!

Elder Wilhelm