Heeeey, thank you for the pictures!! Loved them,
Yeah, I´m definitely getting used to moving around now, I´m not sure if my suitcases are getting heavier or lighter each time. Though it is a pain in the butt to have to get to know the members all over again, and counting the two weeks we lost in the last area, kind of puts the pressure on to baptize.
I´m not comparing myself to anybody on the mission, so no worries, It just feels like that right now I´m not living up to my potential, and doing everything I can be, I feel like my companion is holding me back. So I certainly hope that this transfer is a *finishing school* because the thought of spending another transfer with him fills me with such inexpressible horror that I don´t even like to think about it :D
I´ll keep working hard no matter what, but I just feel that I can do so much more. Especially since he got mad at me for being excited about baptizing, fruitcake. For example, the other day we were talking, and I happened to mention a couple of my goals for the mission, and he said that I´ll never realize them, that I´m nowhere near prepared enough to do stuff like that, and that there´s no need to be so excited about baptizing, just take it easy.......I´ve never been more offended in my entire life!! I know now what it feels like to be completely and utterly offended, but the thing is that now I´m filled with so much righteous determination, and the fire in my soul is burning stronger than ever to show to everyone that my goals are realistic, that I´m a better missionary than he is, and that I will do some of the best work these areas have ever seen. I know rank doesn´t matter.
Anyways, I taught the gospel principles class yesterday. It was about Missionary work this week, so a pretty easy topic. It´s funny to look back when I was a Sunday school teacher back home, and compare my lessons then to my lessons now. Of course, the class here only has 4 other people besides the missionaries, and they´re all over 20. Instead of a room full of 16 year olds, haha.
Last week, during district meeting, it was pretty much a *glory to Elder Webber* meeting. The zone leaders must like me cuz they called me up to give examples of an effective lesson (using voice techniques, and using the body to help tell the story), getting a flaky investigator to go to church, and then I gave a training lesson about how to resolve our investigator´s problems with the word of wisdom, law of chastity, and so on. And then we all practiced doing contacts, and afterward while we were discussing what can be improved, and what was good, everything that was good was referenced to me, Bahahaha! oh yes, one particular popular point was my *stare into your soul to get the truth* skill, I never realized I was doing it before :D
We have a conference with president this Thursday, so I´m looking forward to that, it´ll be our first interview with him too. So I´m excited to lay it out strait and true and tell him what I expect from my mission.
And it´s good to know that Joseph still remembers me, I see little kids at the homes we visit and in the street and I can´t help but think...*my brother is SO much cooler that you* also, the other day we were chillin at a sister´s house waiting for lunch, and she handed me her baby boy to hold for 30 seconds while she washed off her hands ( I know, breaking the rules) but I just about told her *NO! it´s mine, I´ll hold him for a bit longer!!*
Woooow, everybody is growing up, College, high school, 8th grade and 6th grade? sheeeeesh! and I´m glad Mariah liked the letter, I probably should have been writing more letters this whole time, oh well.
Speaking of shoes, my shoes here are taking quite a beating, not quite time to switch them out though. I´m gonna wait a bit longer, and I´ll probably buy some new ones down here, it´ll be cheaper, dontcha think? besides, I don´t waste my money like an idiot, so I have money to buy some. No worries.
I would send you some pictures, I´ll try next week to send you a video of our home, and other interesting stuff. I´ve got quite a bit on the memory card, so no need to worry about a lack of pictures.
I think that´s about it for now, keep up the good work, stay in school, don´t do drugs. hope to hear from ya´ll again soon.
*He´s trying to lead you down the path of *righteousness*, I´m gonna lead you down the path that ROCKS!!*
Love you, miss you,
Elder Webber
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Another New Area!
Well I just got back from getting my hair cut. 8 bucks to have the guy pass a number 3, sheesh! holy freaking rip-off batman.
Anyways, today I am on the other side of the city of Uberaba, working in the ward Uberaba. Why? because last Thursday we were transferred....the both of us. SO we got here and now we have to open another area all over again. ARGH. And now there are sisters in the area we just left....good luck to them in that house with a toilet that has no toilet seat, and a shower that only has freezing cold water, bwahaha!
I really don´t understand, apparently Sisters normally stay in the area more central, and that was ours... but getting transferred after 2 weeks? sheesh, what a mess. Though I do like this ward better, not so many hills, and cooler members. And we still have a grilled cheese sandwich maker, YES!! oh sweet mercy, after almost 6 months in Anapolis without one of those, it´s amazing to finally have one. Our new house is pretty big, though it´s old and looks like junk. We have no beds, just mattresses, so we sleep on 2 mattresses each, and it aint too bad, there´s a whole room we don´t even use, we just leave our suitcases there.
I havn´t even been here for a whole week yet, and it already feels like it´s been forever, these days have gone by so sloooooooow.
This last week I´ve been convinced that I should work on the radio....almost. Because at least 4 times these last few days, people have told me that they looooove my voice, and that they love listening to it and that i should work on a radio station. They even asked me if i was a famous radio host, haha.
Be jealous.
Last night was pretty fun, we stopped by the stake president´s home, he wasn´t home of course, but his family was. And his sister/cousin/mother in law ( it´s so hard to keep everything straight) made hot chocolate and gave us biscuits. WOW, I havn´t had hot chocolate since i was in the MTC, and it is goooood. and then, of course, the little kid had to ruin everything by wipping out the xbox 360 and playing it in front of me......jerk. But his younger sister looks just like Mariah, and acts just like her too, haha, I´m not kidding, I think they would be best friends, so i got along with her pretty well, she´s 7.
Hmmm... and about those perspective baptisms... we´re still working on contacting the investigators that were left behind by the last elders, so I´ll probably have some news about them next week. But the good thing is: That sister missionaries can´t baptize, so if the people we left for them to teach end up getting baptized, we´ll probably be chosen to do it, so I´m still gonna count them as points for me. We had 2 complete families that we were teaching, so hopefully Betty and Suzy don´t mess anything up. But I´m sure they´ll do fine, and as far as I know, they´re probably not as lost and struggling as we are here.
I can say too, that what Ryan Clark said about *eventually doing the things because he wanted to, instead of because he had to*, is definitely true, and happens, as well as those experiences during the first few days in the MTC, and the Field. Thanks for all the advice, insights, experiences, and counsel you send each week, I love reading it and it certainly helps.
I guess I should talk about the city.... well it´s a city, pretty darn big, not like a bustling metropolis, but still big, way bigger than Provo. There´s cobblestone streets all over the place, which look cool but kill the feet. There´s pollution and noise everywhere, and the red dirt always messes up you newly-polished shoes. And every night we´re lulled to sleep by the drunks in the bar across the street singing karaoke. haha.
But yeah, getting to know the new area, Elder Xavier´s map-reading skills havn´t improved:
*the map is all wrong, when I hold it normally the streets are all wrong, so I have to hold it upside down, but then all the names are upside down and i cant read them!!*
I don´t know if he realizes that everything is relative, and that he can just turn his body around.
So that´s about it for now, sorry for the lack of news, but besides being transferred again, not much else happened.
*Excuse me, have you seen my stag?*
*Aw, piss off!!*
*Is that a *yes* or a *no*?
I love you, miss you
Elder Webber
Anyways, today I am on the other side of the city of Uberaba, working in the ward Uberaba. Why? because last Thursday we were transferred....the both of us. SO we got here and now we have to open another area all over again. ARGH. And now there are sisters in the area we just left....good luck to them in that house with a toilet that has no toilet seat, and a shower that only has freezing cold water, bwahaha!
I really don´t understand, apparently Sisters normally stay in the area more central, and that was ours... but getting transferred after 2 weeks? sheesh, what a mess. Though I do like this ward better, not so many hills, and cooler members. And we still have a grilled cheese sandwich maker, YES!! oh sweet mercy, after almost 6 months in Anapolis without one of those, it´s amazing to finally have one. Our new house is pretty big, though it´s old and looks like junk. We have no beds, just mattresses, so we sleep on 2 mattresses each, and it aint too bad, there´s a whole room we don´t even use, we just leave our suitcases there.
I havn´t even been here for a whole week yet, and it already feels like it´s been forever, these days have gone by so sloooooooow.
This last week I´ve been convinced that I should work on the radio....almost. Because at least 4 times these last few days, people have told me that they looooove my voice, and that they love listening to it and that i should work on a radio station. They even asked me if i was a famous radio host, haha.
Be jealous.
Last night was pretty fun, we stopped by the stake president´s home, he wasn´t home of course, but his family was. And his sister/cousin/mother in law ( it´s so hard to keep everything straight) made hot chocolate and gave us biscuits. WOW, I havn´t had hot chocolate since i was in the MTC, and it is goooood. and then, of course, the little kid had to ruin everything by wipping out the xbox 360 and playing it in front of me......jerk. But his younger sister looks just like Mariah, and acts just like her too, haha, I´m not kidding, I think they would be best friends, so i got along with her pretty well, she´s 7.
Hmmm... and about those perspective baptisms... we´re still working on contacting the investigators that were left behind by the last elders, so I´ll probably have some news about them next week. But the good thing is: That sister missionaries can´t baptize, so if the people we left for them to teach end up getting baptized, we´ll probably be chosen to do it, so I´m still gonna count them as points for me. We had 2 complete families that we were teaching, so hopefully Betty and Suzy don´t mess anything up. But I´m sure they´ll do fine, and as far as I know, they´re probably not as lost and struggling as we are here.
I can say too, that what Ryan Clark said about *eventually doing the things because he wanted to, instead of because he had to*, is definitely true, and happens, as well as those experiences during the first few days in the MTC, and the Field. Thanks for all the advice, insights, experiences, and counsel you send each week, I love reading it and it certainly helps.
I guess I should talk about the city.... well it´s a city, pretty darn big, not like a bustling metropolis, but still big, way bigger than Provo. There´s cobblestone streets all over the place, which look cool but kill the feet. There´s pollution and noise everywhere, and the red dirt always messes up you newly-polished shoes. And every night we´re lulled to sleep by the drunks in the bar across the street singing karaoke. haha.
But yeah, getting to know the new area, Elder Xavier´s map-reading skills havn´t improved:
*the map is all wrong, when I hold it normally the streets are all wrong, so I have to hold it upside down, but then all the names are upside down and i cant read them!!*
I don´t know if he realizes that everything is relative, and that he can just turn his body around.
So that´s about it for now, sorry for the lack of news, but besides being transferred again, not much else happened.
*Excuse me, have you seen my stag?*
*Aw, piss off!!*
*Is that a *yes* or a *no*?
I love you, miss you
Elder Webber
Sunday, August 15, 2010
The Ups and Downs...
Happy Brazilian Father´s day!!
I´m glad it doesn´t seem like I´m complaining about my companions all the time. cuz we had weekly planning the other day, and the zone leaders decided to come watch, cuz they´re supposed to watch each companionship at least once each transfer I guess, so that gave me more courage to say what needed to be said during the Companionship Inventory. Cuz my companion is being slack on the rules, he tells me he doesn´t have a testimony that obedience brings blessings and success, but I do. So I told him that if we´re gonna get along and work well together, he´s gonna have to obey all the rules. So.... we´re still not that good of *buddies* and don´t talk that often, but at least he knows what I expect of him, and he agreed to it.
Haha, I hope I´m making an impression on President.... either that or he just sent us out here to forget about us.... in the furthest area from the mission office, haha.
The other day we were teaching some lady the first lesson, and we were sitting outside her home, under the Goiaba trees. And the whole time we were teaching there were parrots flying above us in the trees, playing around and fighting over the goiaba, so they were all muching on fruit as little bits kept falling on us. Thought you might like to hear that :D
I´ve had lots of time to just think and ponder. I realize i miss the things that really count, and I´ve been feeling bad that I didn´t do as much as I´d like to with all my brothers. And by the time I get back everybody will be different. But oh well..... that´s why I stuck the Tim McGraw song in last time, cuz it´s been stuck in my head for the last few days, and makes me think about home and what I wanna do after the mission. The things that really count before it´s all changed and I have no more chances to make it up.
The mission really makes you think about the things that really count.....
Yeah, that other package ain't gonna be getting to me until the end of the month probably, cuz it´ll go from Elder Pattie to the zone leaders, then to the mission office, and when president comes to talk to us this month the assistants will bring all the letters and packages. Cuz the 8 hour trip between here and the office isn't that highly traveled by the missionaries... not that fun.
And I still have my posters, there´s no way I was gonna leave them behind, sheeesh! they´re awesome.
But yeah, haha, that´s about it for this week. We´re teaching a few families, and looks like we´ll have a few baptisms here in a bit, but we´ll see how that goes eh? Wish us luck.....and patience.
I love you.
*I´m watching you Wizowsky, always watching...*
Elder Webber
I´m glad it doesn´t seem like I´m complaining about my companions all the time. cuz we had weekly planning the other day, and the zone leaders decided to come watch, cuz they´re supposed to watch each companionship at least once each transfer I guess, so that gave me more courage to say what needed to be said during the Companionship Inventory. Cuz my companion is being slack on the rules, he tells me he doesn´t have a testimony that obedience brings blessings and success, but I do. So I told him that if we´re gonna get along and work well together, he´s gonna have to obey all the rules. So.... we´re still not that good of *buddies* and don´t talk that often, but at least he knows what I expect of him, and he agreed to it.
Haha, I hope I´m making an impression on President.... either that or he just sent us out here to forget about us.... in the furthest area from the mission office, haha.
The other day we were teaching some lady the first lesson, and we were sitting outside her home, under the Goiaba trees. And the whole time we were teaching there were parrots flying above us in the trees, playing around and fighting over the goiaba, so they were all muching on fruit as little bits kept falling on us. Thought you might like to hear that :D
I´ve had lots of time to just think and ponder. I realize i miss the things that really count, and I´ve been feeling bad that I didn´t do as much as I´d like to with all my brothers. And by the time I get back everybody will be different. But oh well..... that´s why I stuck the Tim McGraw song in last time, cuz it´s been stuck in my head for the last few days, and makes me think about home and what I wanna do after the mission. The things that really count before it´s all changed and I have no more chances to make it up.
The mission really makes you think about the things that really count.....
Yeah, that other package ain't gonna be getting to me until the end of the month probably, cuz it´ll go from Elder Pattie to the zone leaders, then to the mission office, and when president comes to talk to us this month the assistants will bring all the letters and packages. Cuz the 8 hour trip between here and the office isn't that highly traveled by the missionaries... not that fun.
And I still have my posters, there´s no way I was gonna leave them behind, sheeesh! they´re awesome.
But yeah, haha, that´s about it for this week. We´re teaching a few families, and looks like we´ll have a few baptisms here in a bit, but we´ll see how that goes eh? Wish us luck.....and patience.
I love you.
*I´m watching you Wizowsky, always watching...*
Elder Webber
Monday, August 2, 2010
A New Area
Alrighty....so.... it´s Monday. Yup, President Prieto changed preperation day to Monday. So from now on you´ll be getting emails Monday morning...usually. alrighty? sweet.
Anyways..... what a way to rain on my parade.
So...they day after I sent home my awesome email last week proved to be a very, very sad day. After district meeting our zone leader told us that transfers were coming a week early.... and I got transferred. There´s only a few times in my life when I´ve been as bummed as I was all day that day. I spent the rest of the day running from house to house saying goodbye to everybody, and taking pictures. I only missed one family. But now here I am.... in a city called Uberaba, a nine hour bus-ride from where I was, and almost closer to São Paulo than I am to the Mission Office. I´ve never missed a group of people so much in my life (besides family of course). Some of the members even started crying when I told them that I was leaving. Gah! I even had two more baptisms scheduled for this last Sunday, and I missed them, assuming that they went through.
I got all the people i could to write down something, including their addresses, phone numbers and emails in a notebook I have. So I´ve got quite a bit written down, i even got our friend at the lan-house. I feel like the people back there are part of my family, I promised them that I´ll be coming back after the mission.
Bummed beyond belief.
So then on Thursday those of us that were being transferred went to the bus station at 9:00 to go to Goiania and meet up with a bunch of other missionaries. There was about 20 of us just chillin at the terminal, kind of a funny site. The security guard at the store next to us must have been new or something cuz he was looking pretty nervous. Then we all split up, a few of us got on a bus heading here to Uberaba....7 hours later we stopped in Uberlándia and almost all of them got off, except for 3 of us. Then 2 more hours on the bus and we finally got here. around 9:30 at night. I´m not even in the same state as Anápolis anymore.
But yeah, so here I am in Uberaba, me and my new companion are opening up a new area, because president took the last two out before us, so neither of us know any of the members, investigators, places or people. Wow it´s hard. My new companion is a Brazilian, Elder Xavier. He´s not too shabby, i don´t think he likes me very much though, haha. But who knows, we´ve only been together for about 3 days so far. We went to the ward council yesterday, which was interesting, apparently Elder Xavier´s plan for this transfer is just to work with the inactives and less-active members... that aint gonna fly with me. Sure we´re supposed to help everybody, and work with the inactives and such, but I aint gonna lose time on doing the member´s job instead of finding and teaching people to baptize. grrrrrr.
So the city Uberaba is pretty big, not as in huge buildings and such, just spread out, and i´m chillin in what feels like the not-quite-the-modern-city-part, where all the run-down buildings and houses are. There is a huge catholic church in the middle of our area, with big creepy angels and stuff hanging about, so we might have to pay a visit to that one of these days. But yeah, I really have no idea where I am half of the time, and it seems like Elder Xavier doesn´t really have the knack of reading the map, so we´ve ended up backtracking a lot. In the ward here there´s only about 45 members who went to church on Sunday, sheesh, I like the bishop though, he´s pretty sweet.
But yeah, definitely going through some trials. Nothing I can´t handle though, hopefully I´ll just come to love the area and the people the same way I did in Anápolis... even though it´ll just make it harder the next time I get transferred.
*My son, peace be unto thy soul, thine adversities and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment....*
But either way, the work goes on, and time passes by, I´m just gonna have to work hard here as well, like before, regardless of my companion and the people.
I figure this goes without saying... but if there was anything in the mail headed to the house in Anápolis...it aint gonna get to me for a very long time.. hahaha.
But i do have my new address here:
Rua São Nicolau °89
Leblon Cep: 38030-180
Uberaba, Minas Gerais
Brazil
I´m pretty sure that´s right... haha, we´ll find out though eh?
But yeah, besides that, nothing much else has happened, just trying to find our way around the city, I seem to be the only one concerned about finding new investigators. Does it sound like I´m always finding the bad things about my companions? and my situations? If so I apologize, I don´t know if I´m trying to work too hard, turning a molehill into a mountain, or really getting companions with working disabilities.
Hopefully this week will be better, it probaby will, we´ve only just begun. And we´ll baptize for sure...cuz I´m gonna make it happen. It´s a good thing that the times like these are spread out by times of joy and happiness when making friends with the people and baptizing people, otherwise the mission would be miserable. Then again... if you don´t make freinds and develop relationships... there´s not going to be anybody for you to miss, right? haha, Oh what a dilemma.
Anyways, I love you all, Miss you all,
*I went skydiving,
Rocky mountain climbing,
I went 2.7 seconds, on a bull named blue-man chew,
and I loved deeper,
and I spoke sweeter,
and I gave forgiveness I´d been denying,
and he said: someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dieing*
Love,
Elder Webber
Anyways..... what a way to rain on my parade.
So...they day after I sent home my awesome email last week proved to be a very, very sad day. After district meeting our zone leader told us that transfers were coming a week early.... and I got transferred. There´s only a few times in my life when I´ve been as bummed as I was all day that day. I spent the rest of the day running from house to house saying goodbye to everybody, and taking pictures. I only missed one family. But now here I am.... in a city called Uberaba, a nine hour bus-ride from where I was, and almost closer to São Paulo than I am to the Mission Office. I´ve never missed a group of people so much in my life (besides family of course). Some of the members even started crying when I told them that I was leaving. Gah! I even had two more baptisms scheduled for this last Sunday, and I missed them, assuming that they went through.
I got all the people i could to write down something, including their addresses, phone numbers and emails in a notebook I have. So I´ve got quite a bit written down, i even got our friend at the lan-house. I feel like the people back there are part of my family, I promised them that I´ll be coming back after the mission.
Bummed beyond belief.
So then on Thursday those of us that were being transferred went to the bus station at 9:00 to go to Goiania and meet up with a bunch of other missionaries. There was about 20 of us just chillin at the terminal, kind of a funny site. The security guard at the store next to us must have been new or something cuz he was looking pretty nervous. Then we all split up, a few of us got on a bus heading here to Uberaba....7 hours later we stopped in Uberlándia and almost all of them got off, except for 3 of us. Then 2 more hours on the bus and we finally got here. around 9:30 at night. I´m not even in the same state as Anápolis anymore.
But yeah, so here I am in Uberaba, me and my new companion are opening up a new area, because president took the last two out before us, so neither of us know any of the members, investigators, places or people. Wow it´s hard. My new companion is a Brazilian, Elder Xavier. He´s not too shabby, i don´t think he likes me very much though, haha. But who knows, we´ve only been together for about 3 days so far. We went to the ward council yesterday, which was interesting, apparently Elder Xavier´s plan for this transfer is just to work with the inactives and less-active members... that aint gonna fly with me. Sure we´re supposed to help everybody, and work with the inactives and such, but I aint gonna lose time on doing the member´s job instead of finding and teaching people to baptize. grrrrrr.
So the city Uberaba is pretty big, not as in huge buildings and such, just spread out, and i´m chillin in what feels like the not-quite-the-modern-city-part, where all the run-down buildings and houses are. There is a huge catholic church in the middle of our area, with big creepy angels and stuff hanging about, so we might have to pay a visit to that one of these days. But yeah, I really have no idea where I am half of the time, and it seems like Elder Xavier doesn´t really have the knack of reading the map, so we´ve ended up backtracking a lot. In the ward here there´s only about 45 members who went to church on Sunday, sheesh, I like the bishop though, he´s pretty sweet.
But yeah, definitely going through some trials. Nothing I can´t handle though, hopefully I´ll just come to love the area and the people the same way I did in Anápolis... even though it´ll just make it harder the next time I get transferred.
*My son, peace be unto thy soul, thine adversities and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment....*
But either way, the work goes on, and time passes by, I´m just gonna have to work hard here as well, like before, regardless of my companion and the people.
I figure this goes without saying... but if there was anything in the mail headed to the house in Anápolis...it aint gonna get to me for a very long time.. hahaha.
But i do have my new address here:
Rua São Nicolau °89
Leblon Cep: 38030-180
Uberaba, Minas Gerais
Brazil
I´m pretty sure that´s right... haha, we´ll find out though eh?
But yeah, besides that, nothing much else has happened, just trying to find our way around the city, I seem to be the only one concerned about finding new investigators. Does it sound like I´m always finding the bad things about my companions? and my situations? If so I apologize, I don´t know if I´m trying to work too hard, turning a molehill into a mountain, or really getting companions with working disabilities.
Hopefully this week will be better, it probaby will, we´ve only just begun. And we´ll baptize for sure...cuz I´m gonna make it happen. It´s a good thing that the times like these are spread out by times of joy and happiness when making friends with the people and baptizing people, otherwise the mission would be miserable. Then again... if you don´t make freinds and develop relationships... there´s not going to be anybody for you to miss, right? haha, Oh what a dilemma.
Anyways, I love you all, Miss you all,
*I went skydiving,
Rocky mountain climbing,
I went 2.7 seconds, on a bull named blue-man chew,
and I loved deeper,
and I spoke sweeter,
and I gave forgiveness I´d been denying,
and he said: someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dieing*
Love,
Elder Webber
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