Its a new year and with people ready to make changes, the missionaries will be there to help. (1-4-16)

Well, as I expected it was a very difficult week, and one that didn´t have a lot of sucess, but we worked super hard! So there is one thing that we can control on the mission here, and that´s contacts, so we made a million contacts this week, the problem is that no one is looking to commit to anything and so it makes everything all the more difficult. So mostly we visited those investigators who we knew would accept us and we could share a message with them. It´s not much fun to leave the house everyday knowing that you might have 1 or 2 lessons and the rest of the 6 or 7 hours you´ll be knocking doors, but that´s a part of missionary life here. The good thing is that overall , with what we had in mind and the goals we established at the begginning of the week, it ended up good with us reaching most of our goals. This week i went on a division with Elder jacobson, an elder who only has 3 weeks in the mission. It was awesome, and scary, because I didn´t have a brazilian to rely on. But we did awesome, and he speaks great Portuguese for only 3 weeks. I was super excited for the division, and it ended up being really great, and my comp really helped to excite the other area when he was there. It´s cool, because he´s a DL over 3 areas that are training missionaries. So he goes to the other area and trains the trainer, and I get to try and help the trainee if I can.... But I hope I helped a few of them out, and honestly, miracles always happen with divisions. Me and my companion are super excited about this week. We are going to destroy some areas, it´s a New Year and the parties are over. People are ready to make big changes in their lives, and guess who will arrive ready to help them make these changes, the missionaries! Anyway, I´m super ready to get back into the swing of things! Also, on other thing, we´re having a World Wide conference for all missionaries on Jan. 20. I have decided that it´s something really big, and this is my conclusion. The church has established relations with China, and with the opening of a country with 1.8 billion people, they are sending all missionaries under 1 year to serve there. But anyway, that´s my theory, we´ll see what happens! Elder Wyatt

It was great to Skype with the family! (12-28-15)

Well, I already said a lot about my week talking to you on Friday. Btw, sorry about the cell phone dying and kind of cutting us off, but it was probably a good thing in the end. We were a little over time....and it makes for awkward goodbyes slightly less awkward:) Loved talking with you all so much too, but man, it kills. Everything... It makes me miss everyone so much. Also, it destroyed my portguese that night, after I got off, we talked with President Galvez and his son who returned from his mission 2 years ago, and they were having difficulty understanding me. My companion also said my accent was really really strong, haha, but I´m back to normal now. It´s really good to hear from everyone:) This week was extremely difficult though...Christmas in general here is just a big party that starts the 24th and ends january 2nd. So, no one wants to recieve us, hardly any new investigators, no one is commiting, just really hard. My comp and I are really doing great though, and really working like crazy! We´re excited. Oh, he also said thank you for the tie! We did find 2 hopefully pretty solid investgators this past week, but that was about it. I told you we had a division with the assistents this last Tuesday right? well it went really well, I was with Elder Borges, and learned a lot from him, he´s a great missionary and knows his stuff. That´s one thing I´m really grateful for is having had the chance to learn from a lot of really great missionaries. Anyway, we´re going to really try and get through this week, work hard, and we´re really focusing on planning for the new year and having some great success! Anyway, just a short one this week, love you all! Elder Wyatt

It's been a Super good week! (12-21-15)

Well it´s been a super good week. I really really like my new comp. He´s super good, great missionary, very smart, and wants to work hard. I´m really super excited about this transfer and the things to come. I think that some great things are going to happen. this week was a little hard though, this end of the year time is really hard here, and it´s difficult to teach and have appointments, no ones really all that excited to talk to us. But we continue on. This week on wednesday we´re having a division with the assistants, and actually "P-Day" will be Thursday we only are emailing today and instead working the rest of the day. Today will be a lot better day to work than Thursday. Christmas here in general is not all that huge. It´s more of just a fiesta or party and a huge excuse for people to drink a lot. So it´s difficult to make contacts and have lessons when the whole world here will be drunk. We´re trying to mark some investigators for this day and also the day before, but it´s difficult. But anyway, I´m excited for natal and everything that goes with it. Just by chance the sister that makes the best lunch in my opinion is marked for this date, so I´m excited to see what it will be! But once again, it´s a difficult time for missionary work so I´ll be happy when it´s all passed. On another note, our plan is to skype at about 6:00 our time here. So not sure when that is exactly for you, but find out and that should be the time. If things change maybe we´ll call and let you know or I´ll send you a quick email, not sure, but we´ll see. Excited to see everyone! It seemed like time when I started my mission, but you would not believe the speed it flys by. It´s crazy to think how much time has passed. But the mission is great and I´m loving it. Also glad you liked the pictures, hope all is well:) Thanks for sending all the info too, I like hearing about everything back at home, it really sounds like everybody's doing pretty good. Kam is killing it in basketball! Glad I´ll still get to see her play all through high school, Tell her to keep it up! Keep doing eveything right, sounds like you all are really blessed and watched over. Haha, and yes, I remember them! Glad to know that some people still remember me! Anyway, keep me updated and talk to you soon! I´ll probably skype to dad´s email, wyattdrilling, is that fine? anyway, love you all! Elder Wyatt

Pictures from top: elder Barros, Elder Theodore (both from Brazil), a members pet monkey, & some of his favorite people Desiderio & Alice

Q & A from Caden and a letter at the end (12-14-15)

1. Did you make maple syrup and how did it turn out? 2. And the gravy too? You didn't tell me how the thanksgiving meal went? 3. Did you like the English teaching books I sent? Were they what you were looking for? 4. What is your favorite quality of your companion? 5. What quality have you improved on that you are glad about and why? 6. Have you gained/lost any weight? (Since I have only 2 pictures since Brazil) 7. What is your favorite thing about Aractuba? And your least? 8. Are you more emotional now? 9. Do you still write Jaun? And have you Kaden? How are they? In response to the questions- 1. Yes I made the maple syrup with the pancakes last P-Day, haha, you can´t eat pancakes without syrup;) But I think I needed to boil it just a bit longer, because it still had some crystals, but was still good anyway. Also with the pancakes, I didn´t add enough baking powder the first batch so they were flat, but the next few batches were great. 2. I didn´t end up making gravy, I had nothing to make it with, and I talked about Thanksgiving a bit, it was good, just a very busy day that day, and it started very late, so we left early because it was 9:30. 3. Yes, I do like the English books, a lot, I might send the soft cover one back though, because I really only need one. I was hoping for one more with like lesson plans, but this will work great anyway! Also, I will translate the whole book into Portuguese and it will help me learn new words too! 4. I think that he´s very willing to give and share is my favorite quality. 5. I have improved my willingness to share also, humility definitely (Elder Barros is very smart...). I have always been very this is mine and this is yours, and we´ll just keep what we have. But on a mission, especially here, you learn to go with less so that another can have some when they have none. Anyway, I´m grateful for the many opportunities to share not just the gospel, but honestly material things that others need as well. 6. Gained, haha, the foods pretty good here.... Haha, but I don´t know how much, I´m 88 kilos now? 7. Favorite thing, lot´s of pretty trees. Things I don´t like, the city is very dirty, and the people are very cold and shut out. 8. Haha, more emotional?? Well, I share my testimony a lot, and I feel the spirit very strong, but it´s not the kind that brings tears to your eyes. I mean, in general, a mission is very stressful, and tiring, so I think my nerves and emotions are a little more on edge. 9. And Yes, I write Juan and Kaden basically every week, just a short little something in general. All appears to be well with them! Haha, much easier to respond to, and I hope that answered everything. I also have a letter written in respone to yours and dad´s letter so you´ll have those questions answered, just gathering up a few things before i get it sent out. It will be late for Christmas, but I haven´t had much time to do much, sorry, crazy busy! Anyway, this week was a little cazy! It was the last week of a 7 week transfer and we found out the results Saturday night. So the news is......Elder Wyatt is staying in Boa Vista!!! Yayyyyyyy, I´m pretty happy to stay I like where I am, and we have some pretty solid Investigators. Sad thing is that Elder Barros is going to Rio Preto, north of us and will be a Zone Leader there. He was a great companion, but on to better and bigger things! My new comp will be Elder Theodore, a Brazilian from São Paulo, and I heard he´s a really good missionary. So I´m excited for that! Things are really great with me, and I´m still going strong. The District is really changing this transfer too! out of the 5 areas (one being mine and the other the ZL´s) 3 districts will be training new missionaries. Anyway, lot´s a great stuff. So pretty basic week this week. I bought a cake and had a little party for a missionary going home on Thursday night. We´ve had to drop a few of our Investigators so we were back to knocking a few doors during the week because we need to find some new ones who are prepared and ready to progress! But our studs are still doing good, Cleusa is awesome, but she´s been really sick lately, so she´s going to Rio Preto this week to the doctor. Also, Raphael, a really really good Investigator is moving to another area.....so we lost him, and that´s really sad. But, we have some progressing, and i´m really hoping and praying for the coming transfer to have some great success! Also, now that I´m staying, I know a little more about Christmas, we´ll probably skype at President Galves house, a member of the stake presidency in our ward. He has a computer and all that. I´m not sure time and all that, i´ll give even more details probably when we talk to him about it. Anyway, hope all is well. Give me more details about what´s going on at home these days! Also tell dad I got his second letter! I will write him back, the hard part is just finding time to be able to write one! Also, I probably won´t get christmas packages until January, but all´s good! Love you! Elder Wyatt

She felt something special from the prophets picture (12-6-15)

hey mom and dad, well it was a good week, not just crazy, but pretty hard. Yes we did have some some pretty good rain....I was on a division with another missionary from paraíso and they have a really really big area....It started pouring on our way home and I was soaked! Haha, but I love the rain so much here, it´s so cool and refreshing, and sometimes there´s so much thunder it´s like a constant rumbling. Also, when a storm hits, you know it, there´s like this huge rush of wind, and the other day we could see the rain coming towards us down the street until it hit us. Rain is amazing though, just sometimes you get good and soaked. Crazy thing, we were teaching Alice again, the wife of Desiderio, and we taught about prophets and well she liked it but something really interesting happened... Elder Barros pulled out his picture of President Monson, and we handed it to her for her to see, and she did like this like jump thing, like something shocked her, and then she looked at the picture and did it again, but only for a moment. Anyway, she said that she felt this good thing go up her arm, and something bad go out the other arm, and the pain in her head and in her body went away, pretty crazy. Except, she asked us for a bigger picture of him so that when she prays she can have the picture on the way to pray too. Haha, it was pretty funny, but we explained everything to here, that we don´t worship the prophet, that we pray to God. Anyway, so many miracles in this house, they´re really something special. One last thing, this morning we visited a school´s english class which was really fun! oh, and one more, so wednesday night is going to be crazy.... We scheduled a appointment at 7:30 right before my English class because that´s the only time it could happen, but at 7:00 Elder Barros is playing piano for the primary, so I´m teaching on my own with the stake president and his wife. then at 8:00 I´ll teach my English class, and Elder Barros will go and teach another family that can only do it at this time, anyway, I´m a little nervous to teach with the stake president and on my own, but here goes nothing! Also, just a side note, I really feel much more confident in the language now, not perfect but I can get my point across fairly well. Anyway, until next time, hope you enjoyed the read:) Oh ya, I forgot, today we were with the ZL`s and I made pancakes for everyone! Elder Wyatt

Im Improving in every aspect, its just what a mission does! (12-1-15)

Hey everyone, it´s been a great week super busy. I had a million things happen here. Elder Smedley, the other American in the district came down with meningitis, the viral kind not bacterial, and so he´s been in the hospital for 10 days or so. He´s good and all is well there, so no worries! He missed thanksgiving which was sad though. I just want to talk about a few things that happened this week, I don´t know, sorry, but I´m pretty tired and not in a big mood to write much. first off, we had stake conference this week and it was really great. The speakers all did a great job, and President Brum was there and spoke too. We had Cleuza there, and it was literally a miracle. She said to us that she had worked at a place very close to the stake center and passed by it everyday, always saying someday I want to go in there. Well when we invited her to go, she was super excited to! She loved it, talked so much about how she could feel the spirit, and after the meeting she wanted us to introduce her to every speaker so she could personally thank them. Another thing with her, we had Bento at our last lesson with her and it was amazing, loved him, they really had a lot in common, knew a lot a people from the old days, and it turns out her son works with his son and are best friends, it´s crazy! So many miracles with her, and she just loves everything about the church. Other thing was that we had Christmas Conference yesterday, which is why we have P-Day today. It was neat to get to see all the different missionaries from the west side of the mission. I met a sister on the bus named Sister Overson who´s from St. Johns, so that´s pretty cool! Someone needs to ask Murph for me if he knows her? Also I found out that the Elder who baptized Desiderio is from Snowflake, an Elder Lunt if anyone knows him or his famliy? Anyway, really cool what a small world. Anyway, life´s great here, just we traveled really early and then late last night from Christmas Conference to Rio Preto yesterday and I´really wore out, so sorry it´s a little shorter. Thanks, love you all! Hey forgot to tell you guys, I recieved your packge in the mail last week! Thank you so much mom and dad for looikng after me! You really mean a lot to me and I hope that all has been well. Being away gives life a different perspective. I want you to know I´m really improving in so many aspects, it´s just what a mission does. Anyway, Christmas soon, best of wishes, tchau! Elder Wyatt