Mon, Nov 23, 2009

So right now is really stressful.... I am getting transfered to the center of the mission... Santa Maria central. Sweet action huh? Okay, so it depends on when we find out if we are leaving or not. Generally we find out they day of... but there is always that gutt feeling that you will be transfered. So let me tell you what is going on today. Saturday i found out that all the money for elders to be transfered fell into my account. My zone leader told me to get out what was needed for two cause him and elder giles' trainer were off home. So i did. No problems there. Then he called like two minutes later saying to take it all out... well i did. I tried to take out 700R$ in one go... well at that time i didn't know what the heck would happen... the money didn't come out but the ATM registered that it did, and i have spent my enitre P-Day trying to resolve the problem. Lots of phone calls and walking and standing... and still we haven't gotten it taken care of. Its all my fault. I wish i knew a whole lot more. Life would be soooo much easier!
I have spoken in sacrament meeting... it was riddiculous to say the least. Plus the microphone broke so most of the congregation didnt hear me. I spoke about prayer and told them the story of that one day i lost my shoe and you told me to pray and i found it in the kitchen. Remember? Anyways, it was really good.(The story anyways) It was like my 6th week in the field.Okay, so today is transfer day. The next one will be january 4th and every consecutive 6 weeks. That is how we roll down here in brazil.So i really gotta scat, we still got a money and transfer problem to take care of by tonight...Give everyone a big ol hug and a great big beijo(kiss) to the whole family, and tell them that there is no need to fear... I'm on the case!Plus i love the fry-sauce colored brains out of everybody!

Love,Elder Senator ELiott William Wilson

Sorry to those of you that have gotten on once in a while to check on how Eliott is doing. I haven't updated this blog for quite sometime. I don't think I will put all of the past emails up cuz that would get crazy but I will try to put a few highlights on here.

HOLY MOLEY TEam!!!I totally loved the group email!! it was magical!! The sad part is is that it makes me miss home really bad!! Things here are good!! No, More than good i am being totally overblessed by being here in my area/mission/ward whatever goes first. Just great people i get to work with... oh, and that family... the marriage and the baptism went perfectly and they were baptized by family so they will most likely stay firm in the church which is MARVELOUS!!!!!!!!I love Elder Leite!! He is such a great elder and is always ready to work. He is a little on the the quiet side... but i think were are bringing him out of his shell more and more every day. The only problem he has it that he is way over critical of himself. Always helping me speak português and i am helping him a little with his english... this mission is just so great! Oh, and he has got the area down pretty good now... hahaha.So the language... i can say any basic phrases, but i need to work on vocabulary a lot, and a little bit more on my grammar, but its not really a huge obstacle anymore just i little trip wire( withiout explosives) Heck, like 5 times already i have almost written in portugues with in the english.NOw some questions...Ulyssa... You rock!!! How is it that you survived that fall? Did you totally destroy your clothes? Why is Ireland gone all the time? How tall is Olie now? When i get back willi still be able to call him Olie? hahahaAny more remodeling going on? Are you guys seriously making a "pick up Elder Elio" fund? No way josé!!! Is there anything that you guys want me to send you? I am sure that i can find some time durring the week to get it preped... or two weeks... ahdhahahahAny friends of mine still visiting the fam? Have you heard from Abby lately?
Anyways, i think i gave more detail in the letter that i sent today. But tell family(that is extended) that they just need to be patient with the letters. There are a million people i am going to convert and i cant do it writting letters all the time, but please let them know that i am so so so so so so so greatful for their prayers and their support and that i cant be having all this success without them!!!
I think that i want to creat a word that can express how much you guys mean to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love you guys until the end of ...
Love Elder Senator ELiott William WIlson

Happy Autumn! I guess it's going on Spring for you. I think I'm kind of jealous, I'm not really too excited for winter. So far, the weather has been great. Nice and cool in the evenings and mornings and just right during the day. (mom lies! its too hot during the day and too cold in the morning. evenings are good though) (its true I would know :) ) Olie! That little stink, sneaking in while I'm trying to make dinner. So how are things? How are you getting along with your new companion? Has he figured out the area yet? How are you doing with the language? Do you feel like you can communicate well yet? I can't wait to have you speak Portuguese when you get home! That is so totally awesome! So many people at church ask how you are doing. Bro and Sis Anderson said to tell you HI. Sis Herlin says Hi. She is so good to ask about you each week. Jimmy is home from the hospital now. He is doing well, but Connie says that he is supposed to exercise and she can't even get him to walk to the mail box. She was going to have the bishop come give him a blessing but she was going to have him do it out side so that Jimmy would at least go that far. I love those guys. There is a young lady in my institute class that served in the Port Alegre mission. That is the mission right next to yours. I talked to her for a few minutes and she said that she is so jealous. She asked if she could write to you. I of course said sure! She was going to get a letter to me to mail of to you, so you can expect a letter from a stranger named Nicole. It's neat the support that we get from people we don't even know but because we are engaged in a righteous cause, we are all on the same team! Institute is amazing. I am learning so much about the Book of Mormon, and the gospel for that matter. I really need to better on my personal studying though. I'm a slacker. I guess I should get up earlier in the morning but I just love the small amount of sleep I get. I know, I shouldn't whine. But the last two weeks have been nuts! I leave at 7 in the morning and don't get home until after 9 in the evening. I've had YW, class and choir after work and or school and then dad and I celebrated our 21 anniversary. I think this coming week shouldn't be as crazy. At least I sure hope not. So dad fixed a bike for Ulyssa to use and 10 minutes after she got on it, she biffed it big time! She has road rash from her ankle to her shoulder. It looks like it hurts so bad! I'll add some pictures. It's really gross! (Oh, the pic of the egg is because it was the vernal equinox and Sis Johnson called and left a message on the phone reminding us that we could stand an egg on it's end. So we did. Cool neighbors!) I talked to Sis Giles. Kevin is in the CTM for another 2 weeks and then he will be out in the field. You may run into him soon! That would be so cool. You kids could make a super duo! Love Mom!

Ireland loves her big brother on a mission! That's basically all I wanted to say! =] and you're the best!!

sorry Ireland but i love him more! :) not very much to say except that i totally biffed on that old red bike that we have! dad got the tubes fixed so it was rideable so i rode around the block and when i came back Oliver wanted to race so he went first and i timed him then it was my turn, as i was going really fast around the corner i hit the gutter too hard and it popped up and came out from under neath me and both me and the bike slid about 3 ft. on the gravel!! after lying there for a couple seconds i got up and rode the bike home! now i have rode burns all up my right side!! crazy huh??? well that's pretty much the most exciting news! um.. . .... ... I'm getting great grades which I'm very happy of/for! ? well i love ya lots hope your having a fantastic time!! love your favorite ulyssa zoe wilson! :)

The Dad wants to say a word or two about things in which the dad has a thing or two to say about that. Elder Elio!!! Sis. kay & Bro. Dale Labrum just asked about you. Sis Kay is soo excited every time we talk about you! Things are good here... worked has picked up. We are working pretty hard. Oliver & Ulyssa are now the cleaning crew, and though they asked for the job, they are whining about it now. I told them they NEED to do this, it will build character, heh, heh, heh. Mom's working a few more hours. We are going to put that in the 'Trip to pick up Eliott fund'. Church is good, the new YM President is cool, and knowledgeable. Trevor was ordained a Priest last week by Jake, and blessed the sacrament today....not sure exactly why, but it was awesome and I even got a little teary eyed. So....I'm in Bishopric meeting this morning and i look down to see a huge spider on the furnace. It looked like one of our jelly bean spiders, but very dark. It touched it and it ran into the furnace vent....so I guess he will visit again. We did night games a couple weeks ago, it was fun, but the sad part is I'm pretty much the quickest person there. The youth did a Geo-Caching thing last week and had a lot o fun. They all come out on Tuesdays, not many on Sundays. Home is also good, though we don't see much of Ireland like we used to. Ulyssa is getting good grades, Oliver is promising to get better grades, which he can. He has kind of let his hard classes get away from him. We now have a computer! We plan on taking on some theater animation projects, where we can use I, & U's talents. We been to the theater quite a bit, and plan to invite a bunch to come to SLCC's School House Rock musical to celebrate the mom's b-day. Xander just turned 3, Kaydence will be 1 soon. Chance looks pretty good in short hair, and wee bit of a goatee. We hope to stay with Cherie & Shaun in Coalville for conference. Love conference!!! Dinner.... ...okay that was good (and fast huh) baked potatoes, cheese, sour cream tomatoes & bacon. We are suppose to make desert while the girls are at choir. Oh, one more family thing... while at Xander's b-day party, Jared, Troy & I decided that at the Fuller Family Christmas party we are going to race pinewood derbies....that should be fun, and probably really irritate G-Ma Boop. Well, (deep) that's what dad want to say about that....and that all dad has to say about that thing in which, of which, here to for, dad will say about this....LovesYa!!!!
Hey Big Brother! =D he! I really just wanted to say hi and just to let you know I miss you but so proud of you for being on a mission I love you so much love Oliver

My letter:

We went to Oliver's play on Friday. It was great. Olie got to have a few speaking lines because one of the other guys was gone. Aunt Cherie and Uncle Shaun were there. Olie even did a tribute to Uncle Shaunie by doing the Uncle Shaunie dance during the play. It was hilarious! It was a good crowd. The play really touches on a lot of thing missionaries and their families go through. The mom is complaining that she isn't getting any details in her sons letters (sound familiar?), and the missionary gets stuck with a companion that is at the end of his mission and is ready to come home. The lazy companion complains about the letters he gets from home because they ask if he has had any baptisms and that's all he has heard for two years! He says " This is where pride was invented. This isn't South Freakin' America!" hehehe The trunky companion (played by Jeremy Pace) says that if they reduce their efforts to 10 percent and just sit, they will get the same results with less work. Of course in the end, Elder Preston shows him the error of his ways. So no sitting! (If they do a video of it, we'll get one and you can see it when you get home. I'm sure you'll have an appreciation for it!

Any thing we can do for you? Are you needing anything yet? I know you had said you wanted your head lamp. You may have to wait until Christmas time. How is your new companion, Elder Milk? Is he a hard worker? I hope you are well matched this time! How is the language coming? Do you feel like you can speak at all yet? It has only been 3 months. There is a girl in our institute class that just got back from the Port Alegre Mission and another guy that served in Brazil, so if you start writing in Portuguese only, no worries, I can get it translated! There's always Roseanne although they have decided to go to the ward they live in so we never see them.

Eliott's reply:

What was the name of Oliver's play? It does sound like fun!!! I would love to see it when i get back! We could make a whole night of it!! Woopie!! Go my rockstar brother!! I know this Dude is gonna be famous.. at least on youtube... hahaha. Oh man... it may have been a good thing that i was n't there cause i probably would have peed my pants... ahahahah. Mom, my brother is rockin!!
ok, ok. I get the hint. I can write more to you!! You guys are now hanging out again with the paces?!! YEAH!!! I miss the crrap out of those guys!!! Well, it is true that baptisms happen more often, but its because the people are prepared to hear... not cause the missionaries are the best. No sitting is right... heck.. my new companion has a hard time making up his mind where to go and we usualy back track the same spot about three times a day, but no worries, he is still getting used to the area. He is a good worker, but he freaks out a little when he forgets stuff and a little hard on himself. He needs to relax just a little bit. Well matched i think. I am taller than him too;) I think i have been really blessed. My first two companions were on the opposite sides of the spectrum so therefore i can learn from both and be perfectly in the middle! right on huh? Holiday today too... everything is fechado!! crazy. Usually the center of the city has a significant amount of people... but not today. Brazil Independance i think.

Okay, so there is this family that has been being taught for about three transfers now i think. The Dad is a member of a couple of years and his wife was baptized but never confirmed or records were lost or something(and she smokes now). They have two kids. One is married and has the cuttest little brazillian baby you have ever seen!!! I bet dad would die to hold her. I kinda am. Anyways... And the other is about 15 i think and he loves videogames. We were there last night and Elder Leite taught about repentance and stuff and we are trying to get these guys into the water. It was a great lesson and the spirit was way strong there, but that wasn't the best part. The best part is when William (son-in-law) said the closing prayer... Oh my heck!!! i almost cried!!!! and he really really wants to be baptized with his spouse!!! It is so awesome to see what the spirit can do for these people. I know that we do some but i think all i can do is be there for support and do my best to invite them to open their hearts to the spirit... but all is well. We are expecting about 17 or 18 baptizms for the four of us in the next three weeks!!! Sweet action huh? Hey, any idea how scott is doing?

Hopefully Eliott will be able to give explanations to the photos soon. It's sure fun to see some of the sights and people. I think he is happy serving!

Pictures from Brazil!

Eliott's Pose'

July 1st.

hahahaha, hory mory! where the heck do i start? Well, you say elder basically the same and it is spelled with only one different thing... Élder. My new companion's name is Elder Jordan Dallas Pierson. He is from draper and a really freakin sweet guy!! He is basically a big ól teddy bear. Big, tan, hairy(he has EPIC chest hair), and the nicest guy you will ever meet. He has done Brazillian Jiujitsu for like six years and has the body of an olympian, but he is totally awesome at the language and helping me tons and tons. I am a little sad this week cause my first brazillian roomates left this week and they were the coolest guys ever. I have new ones since i just moved into a room that is two down from my other one and Elder Pierson didn´t have any at first. The best way the situation has been described to me is its like getting a puppy. YOu love them and want them to come with you everywhere... then the puppy gets hit by a car. Your parents get you a new puppy, but it's just not the same... Oh well. Yep, still at the top of the building. Plus, my quads are basically like a speedskater's now so if you could send me bigger pants that would be wonderful! (kidding) But seriously, could you maybe find my headlamp and send it down here, that would be basically it. Still have peanut butter;)The temple is about an hour in brazillian traffic. They don't speak by distance here, just time. I would imagine why is because i have yet to see a single strait street. Esse local é loco!! If you mean i am getting used to the effects of beans everyday... nope, but the menu here is good, even though it is often the same. Oh, the best breakfast ever that is here and not in the states, not too crazy, chocolate frosted flakes!!! Genuis!!Sorry i wasn't able to reply to everything today, only a half an hour.... but it is free, so....I am glad to hear that everyone is allright and at least not deep fried;)Love you tons!!!
p.s.I did get the pictures! eu estou animadu!!!Eu te amo!!!

-----Original Message-----From: michael ann wilson <myclan@mstar.net>To: Senator Wilson <mishtersenator@myldsmail.net>Date: Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:07:48 -0600Subject: Re:
Yeah! New companion. I'm glad to hear that you like him. What's his name? Ihope you don't have too many that you clash with but I'm sure it will happenat least once (or twice). What kind of trouble were you having? Did you moverooms then? Are you still on the fifth floor? I'm so glad that you get to goto the temple so often. How far away is it from the CTM? Are you adjustingto the food yet? I'm sure that you don't totally suck with the language itjust takes a while to learn. You have only been going for 5 weeks. You'llget it. I can't wait to hear you speak Portuguese! That will be so awesome!I hope you will run into Elder Giles. I guess he still has 2 months until heleaves Utah and then he will be in the CTM for 2 months. You will be totallyfluent by the time you see him. So no one else that I know has died of the Swine flu but McKel was sickwith it, but she didn't die. I guess almost her entire ward was quarantined!Crazy huh? Susan Jeager is in the hospital, not with swine flu though. Shewent in for a surgery and came home. Her dad found her collapsed in front ofthe bathroom door in the middle of the night. They took her back in andfound more infection. They found out that she was diabetic and while she wasat the hospital, she went into a diabetic coma. Last I heard they weregetting everything stabilized. Ireland went to the pool last week and laid out for the first time thissummer. She decided to use some tanning oil and now she is FRIED! I went andgot some first aid burn gel but she says that is really doesn't help. I feelbad but it's one of those DUH moments. I think she called in sick to workshe is in so much pain and putting jeans on would be torture. OUCH! Alex came over the other day and we got her application filled out for herfasfa. We are going in to SLCC Thursday to talk to a counselor and tofinancial aid. I hope we can get her signed up. She still wants to become abeautician. Ireland is going to go get registered for classes as well. Ithink I will get signed up for fall classes. I don't think I will be takingtoo many interior design classes though. Non of the classes fit my workschedule. On Saturday we all went to the Zoo to listen to Preston perform. I'm notsure how he got that venue but whatever. He sang the two songs that he wroteand then he sang about 5 other songs. He did great! I recorded it but youcan't hear him too well over the rain. It was pouring buckets and you couldhear it hitting the umbrella that I was standing under. Because of the rainnot too many people stopped to listen, but it was still cool. It was goodpractice for him. I think he is performing again at some church where thereare a bunch of people making their debuts. Haley and Parker were there andit was fun to ask Parker questions about the CTM and about Brazil. Hepurchased some Brazilian candy for us and some Guarrina. The candy that wetried is not my favorite. Some of it was nasty. I guess you get used to whatyou grow up with. We haven't tried the Guarrina yet. There was some otherkind of food that Parker wants you to try. I think he said it is calledQuatch. (I don't know how it is spelled.) He said he tried to find some forus but I guess they don't import it. He said it was really good. Let me knowif you come across it. It sounds to me like it could be scary. Well, they haven't called dad as the bishop yet. I don't think they willbe redoing the bishopric any time too soon. Everything in the ward seems tobe working fine still so I don't think they see a need. The stake presalways says that our ward is the model ward so why change things. (I didfind a house in Murray that I want to buy. If we moved, they would have tomake some changes. But we know that isn't going to happen.) Teresa Paskettwas married Tuesday. She married Joel Bell. I was able to go to the weddingat the SL Temple. She is so happy! He is a really nice guy. I'm so excitedfor her! We saw Jessica at her reception. (She was in our ward when we werein the 5th ward and was going to the singles ward where Aldo goes.) Sheasked about you. I guess she is going to put in her mission papers onSunday. She is a cute girl. I guess she was kind of friends with Alex Ann.Too bad nothing rubbed off onto Alex. Mari gave me some pictures that she took of you and your pose'. They areawesome! She is going to be sending you a set. Sister Herlin was wonderingwhat you go by down there in Brazil. She was wondering how to say Elder inPortuguese. I told her I would ask. Sorry, it's another long email. I'm sure I'll add to it since I have aweek until your next p-day. I feel so bad that I didn't have an email readyfor you this past p-day. I feel like I lost a week or something. We sentletters to you with some pics so I hope you get them soon, or have gottenthem by the time you are reading this. I love you and miss you just a little bit. I'm so glad that you have thechance to have these learning experiences and the opportunity to serve theLord! Stay strong and humble!
Love Mom

June 24th New companion

MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!Guess what!?!?! Okay, i will tell you. I now only have one companion. He is so dang cool! i got switched from two comps to one cause i was having trouble with one of them and i just wanted help. I was taliking to the pres and he said... okay, lets move you. So yeah... Anyways, this week has been wonderful! the temple was totally freaking awesome and amazing! this week we have been practicing our lesson 1 about the restoration a lot (in portuguese) and i still totally suck, but i feel like i am catching on a little bit more and i will probably be fluent in about a week, so no worries. I am doing even more better, and the CTM is getting even more crowded... still no elder giles =( Oh yeah, i guess i won´t see him until i am like totally fluent.
HOw is life at home? i hope nobody died from the pig flu again. that would be just terrible!!! Anything i should know or anything like that? well anyways, i just thought i would tell you that i am doing well and that i think about you guys, not too often, but i still miss you!!!!
LOV YOU FAMILY!!!! talk to you around christmas... =)

June 17th Feeling better

OH BOY MOM!!!!! I love getting emails from home!!!! I don´t even care if it is short or long or medium length! It just makes me happy to hear from you! Did you know that I don´t get to call you until Christmas?!!!!!! By then I will be totally fluent and maybe beginning the stages of forgetting English!!! I can´t wait!!!! I actually have been getting your letters! I hve gotten two from home, and one from Chelcy who is getting married. That is all I have heard of anybody, but I email McKel. I have been writing a bunch though. I think in the three p-days I have had I have been able to send off like 15-18 letters!! So yeah, it just takes a long time for the mail to go to and fro. I guess it takes like a whole month for an actual reply to the letter so I will be expecting like 4 within the next week ;)I bet you can tell, I am feeling much better about the mission! I am also thinking less and less about wanting to go home and quitting cause it is too hard ( to be honest I had those thoughts often) but I am making progress… Even though it is still hard. Honestly the language of Portugese isn´t really all that difficult. It makes a lot of sense to me and I like how it is latin based and I also learn a lot about my own English vocabulary. The hard part is speaking it. I can usually translate a lot of what the brazillians say to me, I just have like a brain fart when I want to respond. Hey mom, say fart…… hahahahahaha!!! I love it. That is so weird to hear about your cousin. I am sure that it makes you feel sad even though you haven´t seen him for a really long time. I guess it would just hit home how real the swine flu is huh? So, I just gotta say I wish I had a camera today at and in the temple. Even though it was my third time being there is just seemed so much more beautiful, also the fact that today is totally gorgeous outside whereas last week was raining. I just love the temple and how you can just feel the spirit and almost… just almost be in the presence of the Lord!!!!! I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS GOSPEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love you family!! And I will try and write better…. Even though I am getting totally awesome!

June 10th

Holy Moley!! That was one crazy long email!! I just wish I could read fast. I think I will need some addresses, cause all I got is home address so... yeah. I am doing better, but still struggling with the language. The spirit is really helping me through everything though. I would be curled up in a little corner if it were't for the awesome guys in my district and for the two wickedly sweet instructors that i have. Umm... too many questions to keep track of!! My companions' names are Samuel Ball and Jordan Downey. Both cool guys, but this lifestyle takes some getting used to. It is cool to hear about everything going on in the ward, and I am totally PROUD OF JAKE!!!! let him know that and that I await his letter=) hehehe. Dad, when I get back I am going to have THE COOLEST BUG COLLECTION FOR YOU.... if my companions dont kill them first...No worries about the animals...I know not to eat or touch unless I know what it is. You guys are good teachers!! Yay!!!! they went to Hobé!!!! the bestplace ever.... second only to my mission!!! hahaha. It sounds like life is good for you guys, and I hope that you are still laughing at family prayer... I miss that the most. The only time my district laughs at prayer is when somebody farts and that actually happens a lot cuase of alll the beans.... =P
I LOVE YOU FAMILY!!!!!!!!!!I will keep on workng for you!!!

June 3, 2009

Sim, wednesday is my p-day. Its is pertty awesome. except the day after we have no gym and that makes the day soooooo long! This is the hardest thing that i have ever done. I thought that i was close to ready before i left, but i had no idea!!!!! The language is hard and trying to learn the gospel and understand everyone and still stay sane is quite the challenge! I was about to break down yesterday, but another elder in my district beat me to it. He asked me to give him a blessing... How could i refuse? It was really cool to feel the love between everybody and how awesome it was to feel the spirit!! Sorry mom, but i haven´t really been keeping track of much detail. I am doing my best to stay focused on learning the language and gospel that time flies by soo stinkin fast!!! Today is the beginning of my third week!!! Isn´t that absolutel mind boggling?!?! Ha ha, the trip was pretty smooth sailing besides the lack of sleep. No problems with luggage, customs, or transportation so it was pretty nice. So guess what... it is winter down here... and it actually gets pretty cold in Brazil? Who knew? It is soooo nice to hear from you!! its no exaggeration that missionaries like myself live letter to letter, and emails count. Its hard without hugs or people i feel like i can vent to. I hope i grow up soon so i don´t end up in the fetal position in the corner. Just want to let you know that i am doing my best here, and that i LOVE YOU GUYS SO STINKING MUCH!!!!! i gotta hurry and end this email before i short out the keyboard...;) LOVE YOU!

Limited time only!

See ya in two years!

Can you say cheese?!

The fam(mostly)

A fond farewell