Pictures of Itapoa

Week 2 in Itapoa

YEAHHH Ok so I love this place. My companion is super rad, Elder Cervantes. He is from Arizona and we get along so well. We can really talk about things that help us to be better and we are learning a lot together... in English AND Português. When I got here, it was much easier to understand people. I still have to listen hard, but I am super learning. 

We had an awesome Mission Conference 2 weeks ago where we had Elder Snow from the 1st Quorum of the Seventy and Sister Snow come speak to us. Something cool was that I was asked to do a solo musical number in the Conference. I sang "How Great Thou Art" with Elder Condori at the piano. It went so well. I sang some parts in English and some in Portuguese. I just tried my hardest to remember who I was singing about. The Spirit was so strong there. I got choked up at one part. I made Elder Swallow cry (YES), but something really awesome was when Sister Snow spoke, she talked about the importance of hymns in sharing the Gospel. She thanked me for what I did and said I must have been inspired because that hymn is Elder Snow's favorite. I just about weeped. The tears just flowed. I am so grateful for the help I got from Heavenly Father in making that be the best it could be. I love Him so much. I am so grateful He answers my prayers. 

We had interviews this past week, which were awesome! Presidente Gaertner and I talked about awesome things and I am so glad to have him. Sister Gaertner gave me a box of chocolates as a gift for my birthday from a couple weeks ago. I love them so much! I got a mission pin, too which I am glad for. 

After interviews, Sister Gaertner brought me and Elder Cervantes to the hospital. I had something in my leg that, here, is called a "borga" I think. Pretty much it means a bug laid eggs in your body and you have to get it out without popping the sac of eggs. GROSS right? Well Elder Lant took a needle to me and tried to get it out. He said he didnt end up getting it out, but he was digging in deep. So we went to get it checked out. The doctor said there wasnt anything in there, and if there was, it had been gotten out. So he gave me a cream and some drugs to take 2 times a day. It's FINE. But yeah that happened. 

Things are going great here in Brazil! I really feel like a missionary now, even though I am still working on the language. But it is happening. Its all so real. And I hit 3 months this week! YEAH! We taught a really awesome family the other day how to play four square. I will send a photo or two of that. But yeah. I am super a missionary. Weird, huh?

Today we are going to carve pumpkins and do some Halloween things. Kind of sad we dont have candy corn, though. Dont be afraid to send me letters or packages! I have been getting letters from a few of you and they have been so wonderful every time!! I am so grateful for all of the help I am receiving from prayers from all of you. Please continue! This work is great! I know Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I am reading "Jesus the Christ" a little bit each day and it is building my testimony a lot. Reach out to everyone you know, and of you my friends who arent "Mormon", try out going to church with my family, you know my mom would LOVE it. Listen to me here, if I have a cake (bolo) and I tell you it is DELICIOUS, you are going to want to eat it right? I can tell you over and over how tasty it is and so can tons of other people, but if you dont taste it for yourself, you will have no idea. Then, if you dont like it, that is up to you. But I can promise you, this gospel, the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is better than any other cake you have tried or will try in your entire life. I promise you that if you take a chance at this gospel, your life will be blessed. Heavenly Father wants to bless us more than we can even comprehend. He has so many blessings waiting for each of us, because He knows each of us, and He cant wait to bless us. He will bless you through this gospel. Take a chance. Its not like it will hurt. 

I love you all. Thank you for the prayers. Talk soon.

Elder William C. Kesler

October 13th, 2013

This is Will's birthday journal entry.  He didn't write a long email out, so this is what is supposed to be shared with everyone.

October 7th, 2013

Week 5 in Field

Wasn't General Conference the BEST!? I was so sad when it ended becuase I was learning so much. I loved all of the talks, but a few really stuck out to me. Edward Dube in the first session was so full of strength. He talked about how faith is always pointing towards the future. He talked about how the Pioneers had faith because they had no idea where they were going or anything and they followed their leaders blindly because they knew they were God's servants. So many people quoted Matthew 11:28-30 where it says "Come unto me..." I love that scripture because it just brings so much hope. "Be yoked in hastening the work." I loved President Uchtdorf's talk about those who have left the church or who we are inviting. "Come, join with us" there is room for you here. And then he said "Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith." MAN I just about died when he said that. How perfect. I really liked President Packer's talk too. His story about the 15 year old missionary who had the dream "Joseph, you are late" "Yes, but I am clean". Awesome. There is so much more I could write about General Conference, but people can just look and watch it for themselves. 

Oh yeah, IT'S OCTOBER. Less than a week until my 21st birthday. I dont know if we will do anything, but it is still fun. I love October. I miss NY in the fall. 

During District Meeting this week we talked a lot about faith. We have a new assistant to the LMA and he is a rock. We tried so hard to be faithful this week and I think it is paying off. We are all really trying to be our best. It is never easy, but we are doing better. Along with faith comes hope. Hope is something I never really understood and I am trying to understand it. Over all, I am trying to be my best personally and as a missionary.

This is the last week of the transfer so we are trying our best. I am feeling more comfortable in being here. Being around the people, and about talking to people with less fear. We are thinking E. Simão will get transfered. 

Oh yeah! Things about Brazil, dogs are everywhere and it is nuts. They dont like attack us but they are everywhere. The busses are ridiculous and fast. They are literally like the Knight Bus in Harry Potter how fast they drive and how crazy it feels inside. The rain finally started and the storms here are awesome. There is always lightning and the sunsets are the greatest. Really. 

It is a short letter this week, but it is good right?

Thank you all for being so great to me.

I love you

Elder Kesler

September 30th, 2013

Alright so it has now been over 2 months since I left home to come on a mission. Wait what? Yeah I only have 22 left haha. I dont really know what to say anymore haha. We have some really good investigators going right now, but at the same time it is a little rough because we want them all to be coming to church and all of it all and of course not everyone is doing that. We have some really strong people, though, that we are teaching. We are trying to have more large groups because that was something they talked to us about at Mission Conference. Trying.

I ate and tried many new things this week! Mom you will be happy to hear I had Goiabada and also cavada. The Goiabada was good! Elder Swallow bought more so we are going to have a little of it later, but I will send photos. The cevada was surprisingly good too! I enjoyed it  a lot haha. I had two glasses. We were at a recent convert's house (Cida and Everton) when they brought it out. I thought it was coffee at first but then they explained it haha. It is something similar to coffee, but doesnt have all of the stuff that makes it against the Word of Wisdom. Super good. I also had a fruit called "fruta caju campastre or "fruta caju do mato". I had a little one with one of our investigators, Sandra, but she said in other parts of the country they get huge. It was good, but sour because it was so small haha. I also had grilled cheese on a stick, just cheese. It was supe good and we ate it with Yuri, an RM in the ward and his mom Rosangela. We have been doing well with getting to try new things haha. Also, the candy here is so good. Its hard to find peanut butter and their pb candies are a bit different, but its ok, they have other delicious things. It rained a lot yesterday for the first time which was kind of fun. Used our guarda-chuvas for the first time. 

I started reading the Bible along with the Book of Mormon. I have never read it all the way through on my own and we use it a lot here. I want to have a testimony of it as well. I know it is true because I can feel it when I read it, but I want to understand it more and finish it. That has been great, because a lot of people think we dont use the Bible, but we definitely do. They go hand in hand and work together. 

I am really grateful that I am not alone here. I know I say that like every time in every email, but I love knowing I have Heavenly Father here. I am trying to be grateful to Him for more things, because I KNOW I couldnt do this without Him. I know He is my dad. I know Jesus Christ is my Savior and my big brother and I am so thankful for what he did for me and for all of us. I am so blessed to have the gift of the Holy Ghost in my life, too because if I dont have the Holy Ghost, I cant teach, or learn. 

I dont know what else to say. They language is getting better, I am so blessed to have so many people praying for me, so thank you all. If I dont write anyone specifically, know I still love you, of course, and am thinking about you. But at the same time I am praying for focus and I know I will see you all in 22 months. No less. Love you all

Elder Kesler

Field Week 3

Alrighty everyone so I have been here for 3 weeks. What the heck. 

This last week we did a lot of traveling. Since I was picked to be in charge of the musical number at Mission Conference, we had to go to Brasilia, the city, 3 times this week. We went on Monday and then Wednesday to practice, and the Friday we had the actual conference. They asked me to lead all of the hymns as well, so that happened. It was fine though, and the musical number went well. They sang Come Thou Fount in Portuguese and we did some a capella parts and some mixed things with the 15 Elders and Sisters I had to work with. It was cool.

I got to see Elder Bean which was nice. We are both in like the exact same boat with how we are feeling about all of this. It isnt easy and we are trying our best. It is stressful at times and we think about how easy it would be if we were speaking English or if we were even just with people we know, like eachother. It was so good to see a familiar face and to be able to talk openly about what is all going on. 

We are teaching lots of people and trying to talk to as many people as we can. It is scary just walking up to people and talking, but worth it when we leave them with a good message. I have been praying for boldness and I could tell a few times this week that I have been better about it. 

P.S. I am obsessed with the Book of Mormon. I dont know if I have said that or not, but I wish I could read it at all hours of the day as well as the church magazines. There are so many talks and articles that just fill me with the spirit that I just hunger for more. And I am learning so much from the Book of Mormon is is ridiculous that I didnt care about its importance before. 

I am getting closer to the members here. I still dont understand them much, but I am able to joke a little with them and I think they are starting to like me more. 

Oh yeah, I baptized someone yesterday. His name is Victor and he is a champ. He has been going to church for like 4 years or something and his uncle is a member. We taught him all of the lessons and he knew them pretty much already. He is a funny kid and when I had to do it TWICE, he just laughed. There wasnt much water so it was hard to get him all the way under. His uncle was going to baptize him but something came up and, surprise, Victor picked me to do it. It was a really cool experience. It was in Portuguese and everything.

I can tell the language is getting better. I am always stressed about it and I am praying I feel like every second. I am glad I am not alone in this. 

If people are thinking about sending me things, it takes like a month I think, so send them early haha. I mean you dont have to, but if you were thinking it. 

Ok, I love you all and think about you often.

Stay strong, and please keep praying. They are definitely working.

Love,

Elder William Craig Kesler

Week 2 in the Field

Ok so let me talk about where I live. Our entire house pretty much is big tile. Its pretty cool. I dont sleep on dirt floor and we have a fridge and a stove. We have a washer and no dryer. I have a closet and a desk. The people here are very similar to people at home in that there are the richer and the poorer, but really, unless you are pretty wealthy, you dont care much about what the outside of your house looks like. But in general, they insides are not bad. It is very different but it isnt too hard to adjust to, in THAT aspect.

This week was better, very different. Elder Duarte did something to his knee and had to stay in. WE took turns staying with him. I am kind of rushed so sorry about the bad grammer and punctuation. I stayed in during lunch, with is when we dont do anything anyway, other than eat with members for like 2 hours. Then I took turns going out with Elder Simão and Elder Swallow. Doing lots of teaching and all. I like the extra time to study though. If I could read the Book of Mormon literally all day I would. So I know I should be bummed about not being out on the streets but I love the extra study time for language and all. 

We taught less people this week because of that, but I felt like we taught lots. Elder Simão and I have a baptism on Sunday which I am stoked about. We had two other people tell us they would be baptized too, but we have to find a day. It is not easy teaching people about this stuff, but I can SUPER see the help I am getting from Heavenly Father. 

I am leading a musical number at Mission Conference on Friday. Yeah what? The assistants called us yesterday and said the Mission President asked that I be in charge of it. We practiced today, it went fine, but I have been here for 2 weeks and everyone who is singing has been here at least a year and can speak, so there was a lot of translating. It's weird directing a little choir all by myself. Pray for me in that please haha. 

The language is coming. I talked to someone all by myself while my comp was talking to someone else. I mean they were both members and we were just chatting, but I wasn't like freaking out. Cool what Heavenly Father can do. And I am learning more about making sure to teach by the Spirit. I feel like I am always doing the spiritual thought at things, which is fine, and I am trying to bring the Spirit the best. My words don't mean anything if I dont have the spirit. 

Lots of learning and Lots of trials, but I am praying to understand and I am praying with thanks and praying for my trials. I know I have to go through them. 

I am pretty much out of time, but I love you all and sorry if I didn't reply to you. I got so many emails this week and I dont have THAT much time. I mean I do, but I guess I dont have enough.

Love from Brazil

Elder Kesler