Colombia Updates

This is Will's apartment in Bucaramanga.


This is a family that he and Elder Amador are working with.

November 24, 2008

Hola mi familia,

Hope all is well in North America. All is good in Colombia. We continue to be very busy and by the end of the day, I am beat. Tons of walking and humidity and heat and teaching but I LOVE it. The Spanish continues to progress and every day I understand more. I've been here in Colombia for three weeks now.

Thanks a ton for all the news etc. When you told me of that returned missionary, I can see how people could feel lonely or isolated when there is so little contact with any English speaking people. At first it was a little scary for me, but really, it hasn’t been a problem. I know I’m working hard to learn and I’m where I should be so it doesn’t bother me.

I was able to send a few pictures, but I’m not sure how often I’ll be able to because its quite slow to do. But once in a while I’ll send a pic or two. This Saturday, we baptized another boy named Christian who is a friend of the kids last week. Next week we will baptize his sister who is 22.

Every week my ability to teach progresses a little more and yesterday I taught the majority of one of the lessons by myself. I’m pretty sure they understood me. I had my talk in Sacrament meeting yesterday and they said I could talk about whatever I wanted so I choose the Book of Mormon. I read some things from Preach my Gospel and some teachings of Ezra Taft Benson and then I invited everyone there to always study the Book of Mormon and bore my testimony. Lots of people told me I spoke very well and they understood everything I said. A lot of the time I was reading but I did talk impromptu tambien.

As far as p day, our President says we aren’t supposed to play sports and we are to stay dressed in our missionary clothes. There is a basketball court in Estoraques (the barrio where we do all of our work). Once a year there is a super p day where we can play sports all day. I think it’s coming up soon but I’m not sure.

I don’t have any pictures of the family so if you could send a few, that would be very nice. Everyone always asks to see my family or hear what Los Estados Unidos is like.

Ha-ha that’s awesome that you could see me on Deal or no Deal. You should try to put it on a DVD or something so it doesn’t get lost.

As far as food, we really do have humongous lunches. In Colombia, lunch is the main meal of the day. It’s a little tough to go work and do stuff after eating so much, but to do bien. Usually lunch is enough to be set for the rest of the day. Sometimes, when we are hungry there is a little pizza stand by our apartment, where a family cooks pizzas right there, so sometimes we stop by and grab a piece of pizza before bed.

I know this letter is all over the place but I just write stuff as I think of it or remember your questions. Today for P day we are going to ask people about some cool sights to go see and stop by an Electronics store. I guess the electronics are incredibly cheap here, especially for Americans.

I have a great companion. His full name is Alisandro Amador. Like I said, he is a very hard worker. He does get very stressed and worries about things a lot if something doesn’t go right. I try to tell him to relax and enjoy what he is doing once in a while. Transfers are coming up next week and there is a very good chance he will get transferred because he has been here for the usual time they keep missionaries in an area. I sure hope he doesn’t. It would be a little weird for me to only have a trainer for 4 weeks and then get a new companion, but... Ire y Hare lo que el senor ha mandado.

The other Elders in my apartment are from Chile and Peru, I really like them and they are very funny. They always sing songs from Backstreet Boys or other American artists they have heard and talk to me about the NBA and the players they like. America really does affect the whole world. They know all the music and sports and movies etc.

I know I told you, but I stick out like crazy because I am the only gringo missionary a lot of them have ever seen. ha Everyone stares at me as I walk down streets and even people driving by on motorcycles try to yell things they know in English like “What ees jour Nayme" etc.

We are supposed to give 4 hours of service each week and last week we went to Estoraques and about 10 kids fro m the school, who are in English classes, came and I helped them with their English homework for about an hour and a half. It was pretty cool.

I get to see Elder Lee every week and it’s nice to talk in English every once in a while with him. We were talking at the baptism and about 10 people just stood around us and marveled, they really think English is cool.

But like I said the work is going great. You sometimes feel like you could have done something better or differently but we really do try to do the best we can so I feel good about it. President Uchtdorf said to do your very best and the Lord will do the rest. Also every night in your prayers, offer up everything you have done to the Lord and he will comfort you.

It’s frustrating not to be able to express everything I want to, but its all good, everyday I get closer. For example the other day we were teaching a lady who gave us all these reasons she didn’t believe our church and I knew exactly how to explain it in English but I didn’t know what to say in Spanish so I just bore my testimony. Maybe it’s better that way anyway.

It’s hard to believe I’ve been out for about 3 months and in Colombia for 3 weeks already. It’s really flown by so far and I already feel settled in here. Thanks so much for all your support and prayers. I hope all is going well at home and I pray that it is every day. Thanks again, much love and I’ll talk to you next week.
Love Will

Pictures from Colombia

Will on the airplane going to Bogota.


Will standing in front of the temple in Bogota


Will and his companion, Elder Amador from Argentina, with a wonderful family ready to be baptized. He was able to baptize 14 year old Jolman.


November 17, 2008

Well hello,
Life is still crazy here in Colombia but I’m getting used to it, even the frigid showers. The week has seriously flown by. There is a little shop under our apartment where they let people pay to use computers. The dollar is like 1.9 times the Colombian peso right now so everything is incredibly cheap for me so it’s no big deal. As far as emails you know that we do them only on our Prep. days. You can send as much as you want, because we get an hour to do the writing and we don’t have to count the time reading them, so send me news of what’s going on at home etc.

As for the mission, like I said the week has flown by. We are up at 6:30 and are able to exercise a little, have personal, companion and language study before we leave to begin tracting for the day.

Every day we eat lunch with members at about 1:00 p.m. A lot of them are quite poor like I said and even the richer ones really don’t have much compared to us in the states. After that are lessons and/or contacting all day. My companion Elder Amador is a very good worker and he is very organized with all the stuff we have to get done which is helpful since I’m still figuring things out.

The people here are so receptive and willing to be taught. It is rare that we are not either in a lesson or on our way to one. We spend most of our time in 3 barrios because we just keep finding people to teach there. We have about 6 people right now who are progressing solidly and others who are close to it. Ha the lessons are pretty tough because I still don't understand everything that the investigators say but I always put in my 2 cents and Elder Amador does a good job of setting me up for opportunities to bear testimony and teach.

I've been here two weeks now. Every day I understand a little more but it’s a step by step process. I am starting to figure out a lot of the idioms and phrases people say and when I focus I can usually follow the words and piece it together. But the important thing really is to have the spirit. When we have the spirit strong you can see it on the people’s faces that they can tell and the words really come more easily.

Guess what, I had my first baptism... three of the kids from a poorer family in the Estoraques barrio named Guadalupe 12, Jeri 11, and Jolman 14. We visit the family often because there are 2 families that live together and they all have been baptized or want to. My companion was going to baptize all 3 because they set the date before I got here but Jolman said he wanted me to baptize him. It was really amazing and such a humble meeting, just the kids and a few family members. All the people have at least 4 names so I was very scared I was going to forget his names but I said it just fine (besides with a gringo accent). The spirit was so strong and it was so cool to see how happy they were after.

This week we have 2 possibly, 3 more baptisms and 1 or 2 lined up for each of at least the next 3 weeks with possibly more. It really is amazing how much you start to love the people especially when you go from contacting them and talking in their apartments to seeing them get closer and closer and see the spirit working on them.

I think I said in my last mail that I stick out like no one else here because I'm a gringo. Everywhere I go people look at me and just stare or whisper things under their breathe. One crazy man started screaming “DIABLO DIABLO”, (Devil) at us as we walked by the other day and there are a few that aren’t friendly, but for the majority, everyone is very friendly and nice to us.

The poverty in some of the poor areas is not like anything I have every seen. The other day we taught a lady with a chicken and little chicks running around and eating stuff off the floor. The climate is very hot usually but the last few days have been overcast. It is also very very humid. The ward members are great.

The Bishop, for some reason asked me to speak in sacrament next week! He said I could talk about anything I wanted so I think I’ll talk about the Book of Mormon and I can use information from “Preach my Gospel” and the scriptures.

My companion is a very good missionary and very humble. I was lucky to get him for a trainer. He is actually 24 years old because he had to work for a few years to have enough money to go on a mission. The other night he just started crying because we have had so much success recently and he said he didn’t ever want to go home. He is a very good Elder.

I’m not sure what else to say, Colombia is crazy but I’m settling in and really starting to love it. Don’t hesitate to write because I have time to read. I will try to find a way to send pictures but I’m not sure if I can. Thanks for all the support, much love and I’ll talk to you again next week.
Love Will

He is in Colombia

We have been anxiously waiting for the past six days to hear from Will. Today is his prep. day and they are allowed to e-mail us. This is his first letter from Colombia and it sounds like an amazing place.


November 10, 2008

Hello family,
It’s now my prep. day so I’m doing my first emails. I am alive and in Colombia so don’t worry. I have about 45 minutes so I´ll try to tell as much as I can.
We left the airport in Miami and went on a humongous plane to Bogota. It was like 8 seats across and many rows. We got into Bogota at night and luckily they just took my passport and stuff and didn't ask me many questions. After that we got our bags and the AP's flagged us down and threw all our stuff in a van. They were both gringos from Utah with a member guy who drove the van. They immediately started telling us all about Colombia and how much they like it. They took the Elders that are going to Barranquilla to a visitors center at the temple to stay the night and leave in the morning and they split the rest of us up to stay with other Elders in the area until we had all our paperwork etc done. Elder Lee(Utah) and I went to some Elders, who had been here a little over a year. One was actually from Utah so it was helpful to have him so we could know a little bit of what people were saying. We stayed in an apartment right off a huge road in Bogota on mattresses on the floor. The traffic was ridiculously loud and they said the water was bad so I only drank it with my filter water bottle.

Honestly it was a little scary for those first few days. The people talk very fast and it is very difficult to understand everything they say. But the next day we went to the Presidents house and there were a bunch of other elders there (no Americans except my group and the one other and the APs). We sat there and talked for a little bit. Then the president came and we had a very, very good dinner and he had us introduce ourselves a little. He doesn’t speak English but he had the AP's translate what we didn’t understand. I suppose he is a pretty funny guy because people laughed a lot at what he said (ha I just don’t know what it was). Then we did interviews with him and we were done there. I can usually get my point across to people and I usually have to ask them to speak slowly and then I can make out what they are saying.

After the mission home we went and got all our money changed and did paperwork stuff. I guess right now the dollar is double the Colombian Peso so I have a lot of money but I don’t take very much with me. This place really is a whole different world. It was quite scary to be in this strange country and with such weird stuff but I´m getting used to it just fine. I told my Mission President "Ire y hare lo que el senor ha mandado." Anyway after that we went and started tracting and doing stuff. We tracted and did contacts with the Elders who are in Bogota for a while and I started a few contacts on my own and then kind of passed them to the others when I couldn’t understand. It basically stopped being scary when I started doing the work. That night we had dinner with a member family who was very nice. The food is definitely different but it’s alright. Then we went and taught a lesson to one of their investigators. Those days in Bogota I got to be with the Elder from Utah, which was really helpful so I could talk a little English. We got there and they asked me and Elder Lee to teach the investigator about the sacrament and we went for like 15 minutes just talking about sacrament and bearing testimony, It was very cool, although I'm sure my accent is still ridiculous.

We stayed in Bogota for another day (we found out we were going to Bucaramanga right away but we had to finish our paperwork stuff) and then at about 6 at night a few days ago they put Elder Lee and me on a bus and sent us on a "quick" 9 hour bus ride to Bucaramanga. They played Indiana Jones in Spanish and tons of people talked to us about what we were doing and where we were from. We got here at 3 in the morning and the Elders from this area were there waiting.

My companion is Elder Amador from Argentina. haha He doesn't speak any English. He is a hard worker and I can understand him somewhat cuz I”m getting used to him. They took us to the apartment and it is actually quite nice. He told me it is the second nicest in the mission. It’s on the 8th floor of a big apartment complex and it has a kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a washing machine. Upstairs there is a big deck thing on the roof where you can walk right outside onto the road and there is a very cool view of all the big buildings that are in downtown Bucaramaga, a few miles away.

There are 4 Elders in the apartment. One other companionship and none of them speak a lick of English. I can usually get my point across when talking to them. The water in Bucaramanga is all safe and good to drink unlike parts of Bogota. However there is NO hot water in our apartment. It’s great to drink but showers are absolutely freezing, it definitely wakes me up in the morning. A lot of the stuff here makes me realize how lucky we really are. We got there at about 3 30 am and went to bed and the next thing I knew, I was up and we were doing daily study. I just read PMG and scriptures in Espanol and try to learn all I can and then my companion and I discuss what we studied for companionship study and go over stuff for investigators.

Then we hit the road and started doing the work. It is really hot and humid here. Almost all the people in my area (Real de Minas) live in little neighborhoods called Barrios. They are for the most part, quite poor. The barrios are basically a bunch of apartments together with a few stores built in. ha to describe the usual scene The people are always sitting outside talking and little kids running around with weird Spanish music blaring and usually a few people drinking. The people are so humble though. We first went to a lady who is a member in one of the barrios and she is helping some of the poor families who are progressing or just baptized. Everywhere I go I stick out because I'm a gringo, and everyone stares at me and whispers things as I go by, I just smile at everyone and talk to whoever I can. My first day some crazy man followed us around for like 15 minutes and tried to get me to help him with his English. Tons of people try to say the English words they can to me and ask me to talk in English and then they laugh like crazy when I do.

We usually have lessons scheduled for most of the day and when we don’t we walk around and contact and it's pretty easy to get people to let you teach them. They are so humble and receptive its amazing. You introduce yourself and talk for a minute or two and ask if they would like to know more and I would say over 50% of them say yes and we end up teaching them. We teach about 5 lessons a day usually and always have lunch with a member family. It’s pretty sad how poor some of them are and how little they have. Every meal we have gone to, they give us the most food and it’s usually humongous plates. It makes me sad, for example we went to a single lady member, who had 2 sons, for lunch the other day and her house was cement with an old used couch and run down everything and yet she gave me this gigantic plate of food that I could barely eat and you know it was hard for them to come by, but you need to eat it or they would feel terrible. It is very humbling.

My companion and I have 3 maybe 4 baptisms set up for next week, I don’t know if I will do any of them because they started before I got there but right now we have 4 or 5 more that are very close to being baptized. Like I said they are so receptive and they believe you as soon as you start teaching. The other day we were walking down the path in one of the barrios and a little girl asked me where I was from. We ended up going in and teaching the whole family and they want us to come back, I think they all have potential to be baptized and are interested except the mom worries me, I didn’t realize it cuz I can't understand everything, but according to my companion she really, really wants me to meet her older daughter next time. But as far as the lessons, Elder Amador does most of the explaining and teaching and I add in as well as I can, I teach one or two of the principles and bear testimony. I can’t wait until I know the language better and I can fully communicate with people but the Elders say I speak very well for a new gringo.

I think it is an advantage to be an American down here because a lot of the people just like to see a tall white person and they are interested in listening to my terrible Spanish. But really they are so receptive to the message and able to feel the spirit. It’s like in the book of Mormon, over and over the Lord humbles the people and then they find the gospel. These people have definitely been humbled and they are ready for it.

I went to church on Sunday and it was the same, yet very different. There just aren’t a lot of people who are well equipped to be priesthood leaders etc. The counselors to the Bishop are returned missionaries of about 5 months and about half the people don’t have church clothes so they put on their best blue jeans and tee shirts and come to church. I keep saying it's incredibly humble and I respect them a ton. For us it's so easy to be members and have everything we need, but for some of these people, it’s a big sacrifice to get to church each week and do everything. During gospel doctrine class they didn’t know the names of the counselors in the first Presidency so I was asked to go write them on the board and tell them some of the other apostles. They had me introduce myself so I did and bore my testimony and everyone wanted to know where I was from etc.

I don’t understand everything that people say, but I can get my point across and I am improving bit by bit everyday. According to everyone I talk to it’s like this for everyone and I'm doing fine. Honestly it was quite scary at first but now I’m just great. por que se que el senor nunca da mandamientos a los hijos de los hombres sin preperarles a via para que cumplan lo que les ha mandado 1 NE 3. 7. But the church is true, even in Colombia it’s amazing to see how although it’s way different, it’s the same.

I’m running out of time but all is well. I love you much and I´ll write next week.

Great News

Will wearing his Colombian t-shirt very proudly.



This is a picture of their District along with one of their Instructers. Will is in the middle of the back row.



This is one of their Teachers. He is from Colombia and Will said he is an amazing person.

Well, the news that we have been waiting for two and a half weeks finally came at noon today. We got a call from Will. It was so nice to talk to him in person - it's been about 2 1/2 months. It made me cry.
He and the other Elders are so excited that their Visa's came this morning. By noon today, the Church had them all booked on a flight to Bogota. They leave the MTC at 3 A.M. tomorrow morning and head to SLC. Their first flight goes to Dallas and then Miami and then Bogota. They will reach Bogota at about 8:30 P.M. (our time). It will be a long day.

Will has been assigned as the Group leader while they travel. I hope everything goes well. He sounded so happy to be doing what he is doing. It amazes me, that an All-State football and basketball player who LOVES athletics, has hardly said a word about sports the whole time he has been at the MTC. Now, he has focused and dedicated his life to something much greater. (He does love that one hour they have in the gym, though). My nephew, Taylor, left on a mission almost a year ago. My sister Debbie kept saying how much he loved it and how happy he was and now I can really understand it. All of our nephews have served missions. The youngest and last, Scott Blumell, is preparing to go next year when he turns 19.