The Last Letter of 2013

Hello!

 We are going to a family for dinner on new year's eve, but other than that I am not sure what we will do. Yes, I got the games. Thank you. I will not be able to play them today but will in the future. My companion opened all his presents right before he was transferred so he did not have to carry them around so I am not really sure what he got for Christmas. I thoroughly enjoyed my Christmas and wish those ungrateful sisters of mine would be thankful for what they have. Many people have much less, if anything at all.

Yes, today on our p-day we are going to the mall, but I will not have to buy any vitamins because the Wards sent me a bunch. It was very convenient. No, my investigators did not come to church. Grrr. My new companion has assorted a collection of good church music and we have a big boombox we listen to things on. Its great. On Sundays after Sacrament meeting we go to the Gospel Principles class, and then usually go with the priests during third hour. There are not many priests and I am pretty much their age. It is good for us to set an example for them.

 And yes, I just opened the package from the Wards. It was great. It had food, a picture from prom, vitamins, and sunglasses. I wash all my stuff often do not worry. I have barely had to pay for everything. We were at the church one day when they were distributing things to people in need and they had a lot of stuff left over. We got everything from fruit, to laundry detergent. I have not had to pay for any part of laundry so far on this mission. There is also a family who has more stuff in their food storage than they know what to do with. They tell us to take whatever we want. I have gotten lots of free food and toiletries from it.

 Looks like I might be in Brazil a little earlier than I thought. It will probably be around mid-February. I just filled out another online form so you do not have to and sent three copies to the travel office in Utah. 

We did not have a lot of success this week. As I said before, most of our investigators told us to come back after the holidays. I have enjoyed reading a book called Doctrines of Salvation Vol. 1 by Joseph Fielding Smith. I plan to read all three volumes. It is amazing all the doctrine that it contains. Tell Dad that I would love to read more books, but I will soon run out of room in my suitcase to Brazil, so unless they're small I will probably not have time to read them or room to pack them. There is one book called Visions of Glory I am excited to read. Dad, you should read a summary and see what you think. Its not doctrine but its very interesting stuff. 

One thing me and my companion do that is fun is every night after coming home at 9, we watch a bunch of old Church-made videos on a little dvd player. We watched one and Elder Miller pointed to an actor telling me he thought he was less active. It was really funny because it was Will Swensen. I told him I am kind of related to him and it was really funny. I hope you enjoy the new year and don't forget Perci's birthday! How old is she? Get my Christmas card? 

Lots of Love,

Will 

Photos From Lacey, WA

My Stuff

They're not beer cans......

My new companion and our apartment in Lacey.

Where I email...the "club house" of the apartment complex

Tacoma Washington Mission Christmas Party

Merry Christmas 2013

New Companion in Lacey

Thanks so much for the Police letter information.  That is great news! That means I will be in Brazil in the next 3-4 months, maybe sooner. But it means I will get there so that is all that is important.

 Not as much sunshine as you think but it has been warmer. Lots of rain. It even snowed here on Thursday but it all melted by noon. Yes, I can see Mt. Rainier. It surprised me one day because I did not know there were mountains around here. Yes, it has been nice and  it is warm (40 degrees), but biking around in the rain is not very enjoyable. We just ditched the bikes yesterday and walked around to our appointments. 

You are correct in the success of younger people. Old people have zero desire to change anything in their life. Whenever someone old answers the door you can expect a swift "not interested" and a slammed door. My new companion is Elder Miller.  He has been out about a year longer than me so he is very good at teaching the lessons. I have learned a lot from him. We have had some success in finding new people to teach this week. We found a new family who wanted us to discipline their child for not being grateful. Using all my years of parenting skills I told him to honor thy father and mother. I am not really sure what she wanted us to say but she enjoyed our company and their whole family is coming to church this Sunday. 

We expect a very slow week this week. We have P-day today, and no proselyting on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve, and Jan 1. Most people tell us to come after the holidays so we will not be able to do much missionary work for awhile. We continue to teach Kathy but with no avail. She believes everything we tell her but has a hard time understanding and won't come to church. The hardest part of the missionary work so far is when people tell you a specific time to come back and they are not there. It upset me at first but have since gotten used to it.  We will be Skyping on Christmas probably around 11 or 12 in the morning my time. Just be ready sometime in the afternoon. Send me a Skype account I can connect with and I will look at my email before Christmas. I will probably call you on the phone if I cannot get a hold of you so have mom's phone ready.

 We are having Christmas eve dinner, Christmas breakfast, and Christmas dinner with three different families so we are well taken care of. We do everything with the sister missionaries in our ward so we get invited everywhere. I am glad to hear everything is well at home. I will miss being at home for Christmas but look forward to opening my presents in the apartment. I will send some pictures of where I live and where we email. We have been eating at Subway a lot recently because we get 2$ 6 inch sandwiches because its December. I hope to have at least one baptism this transfer. 

Talk to ya on Christmas,

Will

Lacey, WA

No Transfer This Time...but a new Companion

Hello!

   I am not being transferred so I will have this same address for the next 7 weeks. Most people were not transferred because of Christmas.  I am getting a new companion named Elder Miller tomorrow. I have heard good things about him so I am excited.  We had a white elephant gift exchange and lunch at the Christmas party. It was fun as all gatherings with missionaries are. We are going to a members house for breakfast on the 25th, but other than that, I do not know much about what we will do. I have my Christmas cards and will send them home today for you to give to people we know. Sorry they are so late.

    We went on Saturday to some docks in Olympia with an investigator. It was funny to see ocean water to close to where I am. The funny thing was the docks were called  Percival Landing. So I have some good pictures with a big sign that says "Percival Landing". I will send them next week when I can find out how to get them on this computer. No I have not talked, or sung in church. I will Skype on Christmas day and will email you the time next Monday. 

   We have been teaching lessons and I have  improved greatly  in my ability to teach. It was tough learning all that Portuguese in the MTC because I focused all on the language and not really on the lessons. We still do not have anyone progressing but we do have some potentials. The hardest part is just finding a time to teach people that works for them. Everyone is too busy to listen to the most important message of their life. The other really hard thing is getting people to come to church. People will believe what you say and desire to be baptized, but when it comes to actually going to church they make up more excuses than you can imagine.

   I do enjoy the ward here. The people are really friendly and amazingly we still have a member dinner almost every night. The person who took us to the Docks is named Kathy. We have talked and taught her a lot but we decided she only has us over because she is lonely. An interesting part of a lesson we had with her is when we mentioned the atonement of Jesus Christ. She completely changed her attitude and told us what a mess-up she has been her whole life and all the wrong she has done. Even when we explain the reason and importance for the Atonement, she does not want to change her life. Something I have realized out here is every soul knows when it does wrong by the light of Christ and desires to rid itself of that wrong. The reason that people do not wish to cleanse themselves is because they harden their heart to the truth and seek earthly things to make them happy. Its sad to see. 

   The other thing I have come to realize is how backwards these other churches are. We talked to a man who read the NIV Bible every day for 15 minutes for years. The NIV Bible is basically a bible written for people who cannot understand the King James. (Which is really not that hard to understand...) An interesting quote in a book I read says, "For what purpose does man have to re-write a bible, than to change it?" These churches just appease peoples' need for a little religion in their life. They tell themselves they are okay because they go to church every week. 

   I will try to send a present home for Anne for her birthday but I do not think I will be able to do Christmas presents for anyone because I do not have a car or a store to buy any. Sorry. I only get 35$ a week too. I have heard they have stopped calling American missionaries to Brazil. Is this true? A couple other guys in my district have gotten visas so that has been tough to see. I'm out of time so I will say goodbye. Hope everything has been well there. 

Will

Will's Christmas Address 2013

• Elder Will Percival
• 5808 TITLEIST LN SE APT G204
• LACEY, WA 98513-6499

There are so many Pine Trees Here...

    I have had many people tell me that this is the coldest it has been in Washington this time of year for like 30 years so, I guess that is just my luck. It is really not too bad during the day but biking around at night has been a little chilly. 

We do not have a small Christmas tree yet. I will wait until transfers next Tuesday to start decorating since I could be leaving the Lacey Area. I hope I stay here one more transfer but I would not mind going to an area with a car. Most missionaries here are on bikes but this mission has a lot of cars for some reason. The church buys new Toyota Corollas and lets missionaries drive them for 50,000 miles and then re-sells them. So the missionary cars are all new and nice. The problem is they give all the sisters in the mission the cars so there are not many left for Elders.

 My relationship with my companion has improved. He is a very knowledgeable kid and I have learned a lot from teaching with him. Unfortunately we still have not had many opportunities to teach full lessons but he has found ways for me to practice teaching. It is fun to teach the lessons and to be able to share what I know with others. We have been getting fed at 4:00 almost every night but that will change when I leave a ward that has sister missionaries. If we did not have sister missionaries we would not be able to go in the house because the husband is not home at 4:00. There has to be three adults of the same sex to enter a house.

 It is looking like we will not have a baptism this transfer. The one lady named Kathy we have been teaching has not been available and did not come to church after promising us many times she was coming. She made some lame excuse yesterday. Our last hope seems to be in a cool Jamaican guy we met yesterday who is in Washington visiting his sister. We asked if he wanted to get baptized and he was like, "Ya man" so we are going over today to teach him and hopefully put him on date for baptism. 

I will take pictures and send them in an email next week. We made some pretty sweet Christmas cards with a professional photographer here in the ward. I will send them home when we print them out and you can distribute them to people in the ward and a couple of my friends. I really like the ward here in Lacey. It is a big ward and the members are really nice. We go to Ward Council every other Sunday. And yes the members always give us food so I am careful not to eat too much. I have realized that being a missionary means that everyone calls on you to do service. I have moved two pianos, an organ, and a freezer so far. We also spent 3-4 hours helping someone who owned a  house that had been fore-closed. It was sad because the people who lived there had absolutely trashed their home, and we had to carry a bunch of junk out before the police came and closed the property. It was really sad. It made me think of how fortunate I was to have a father who taught me how to take care of my stuff.

 I have had some good salmon for dinner recently. The seafood is good here because it is freshly caught in the Sound. I do not really think about going to Brazil that much. I try to focus on where I am and why I am here. It is tough to hear about elders in my district who have gotten Visas but I have decided I will be happy to be there by my birthday. The tree at home looks great! Is that a new table in the room? Why on that side of the room? There are so many pine trees here I think I will just find a small one and cut it down. 

As far as doctrine goes I have been reading Jesus the Christ and a book called Gospel Doctrine by Bruce R. McKenzie. I have also been studying how to teach the lessons in Preach My Gospel better. It is amazing how simply the Book of Mormon states gospel truths compared to the bible. Here's what people say when we knock on their doors and tell them about the Book of Mormon.

 Enjoy.

   6 Thou fool, that shall say: A ^aBible, we have got a Bible, and we need no more Bible. Have ye obtained a Bible save it were by the Jews?

To that I want to show them "the rest of the story.."

 7 Know ye not that there are more ^anations than one? Know ye not that I, the Lord your God, have created all men, and that I remember those who are upon the ^bisles of the sea; and that I rule in the heavens above and in the ^cearth beneath; and I bring forth my ^dword unto the children of men, yea, even upon all the nations of the earth?

 8 Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the ^atestimony of ^btwo nations is a ^cwitness unto you that I am God, that I remember one ^dnation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two ^enations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also.

love, 

Will

A Good Thanksgiving

Well its good to hear you got rid of the tank. Hopefully it was not too hard to get up the stairs. Did they take the lights too? Also did Davis ever come get my Xbox? We have had some good weather here in Washington. It has been about 50 and sunny for a couple days and that is pretty rare here. A lot of people we have talked to told us that it was going to snow today but its sunny and about 50 right now. We had a slow week preaching the gospel due to the holidays but I had a great thanksgiving. We woke up and played in a turkey bowl. Even though My team got smoked every time I had a good time. We ate dinner with a family that was a little strange but the food was really good. It was the usual Thanksgiving dinner, no squash though. You always made the best squash. The real fun came when we went to a family in the ward's house and played cards. It was a really nice house and they had a nice set-up for card games. We played a game called scum and it was lots of fun. They  had lots of desserts and leftovers we took with us when we left and have eaten over the last couple days. I wished I was home but had a great thanksgiving. 

 We have a couple prospective investigators but have had some bad luck when it comes to teaching them lessons. One time we went to teach a lesson and the guy's kids got in a bad car accident 10 minutes before our lesson. The other lesson we had with the guy who was in prison fell though because he had pneumonia. So that has been a bummer but we found some interesting people last night that we will be able to teach. I am not sure if I have mentioned it in an email so far but the second largest army base in the US is in Tacoma so a lot of people we talk to are in (or were in) the military. Its amazing how the military will and has destroyed so many people's faith in Jesus Christ. A lot of people we talk to tell us they used to believe in a God, but after what they have seen, they do not believe a God could let those things happen. Its sad to see how their service has really impacted their life in a negative way. Some guy with major PTSD invited us in one night when we were knocking and I thought he was actually interested. He then went on to tell us how we should not be knocking so late an no one wants to hear our message, (it was 5:30 pm). You could tell his brain was fried from combat and I was pretty sure he was going to stab us so we just agreed with him and left.

 We have a mission Christmas party on Dec 10. It will be fun to see the kid from my district in the MTC. I am on page 500 in the Book of Mormon and will finish this week. Thank you so much for the package I opened it just before I wrote this email. The article about the Jok brothers is incredible. I will have to find a way to watch an Iowa basketball game. No word from Talia and Max  but I have not writtem them anything for a while. The article about the planets is really cool too. That's really cool you remembered the poker too haha. I will not need anything else for a while;  we have a washer and dryer in our apartment so that has been really nice. Its only a 1 bedroom apartment and the rent is 960$ a month. Tell Anne and Kate I will send them letters I just have not had much time to write them recently. We exercise each morning for 30 minutes but biking around all day is where I get most of my exercise. I hope this week will be better for teaching but I am doing much better. It is nice to hear that everything is well at home. Hope school is going well.

Love,

Will

Remembering Mom and Dad

November 25, 2013

Well, I will say I am feeling better this week. I guess I am adjusting and I have been home-sick. It actually has not rained in like 4 days so that has been really nice and it has been sunny. The funny thing here is it is actually colder when it is clear and sunny because the clouds trap the heat. So its either "warm" and rainy or cold and sunny. I think I will still take the sun. Its been an interesting week. We have one progressing investigator who is not on date to be baptized but can feel the spirit and knows it's the right thing to do.  I have so  much to say so I will email what I can and will write a letter sometime this week home since letters are always more fun to get.

We have been doing lots of biking around Lacey and I am trying to get to know the area. My companion is a very knowledgeable kid, like there is not one question in the gospel he does not know so that is nice but for some reason he does not enjoy talking to me. The missionaries out here are generally pretty cool. I have gone on splits with a lot of them.  We usually do not do much for breakfast, I am not really sure what we do for lunch, I guess we go out to eat sometimes like Subway or something. I am glad I got a flu shot because my companion had the flu for two days and we had to sit in our apartment so that was really boring. I have learned a lot about missionary work now and what missionary work used to be. There truly is a higher standard for missionaries out in the field now.   We are going to a members house for thanksgiving and will spend the day there as no one will want to hear the gospel during thanksgiving.

We are teaching a guy named Al who spent 23 years in prison, that is amazing to me. I am much like Dad and have started cleaning the apartment so it is livable because it really is a pretty nice apartment. It looks like I will be spending the winter here waiting for my Visa. I will just be happy if I am there by my birthday. I just want to tell you how much I loved you and Dad when I was at home. Anne, Kate, Finley, and Perci too. It is hard being away from home. I am thankful this thanksgiving for the things you and Dad taught me in life. I feel I never appreciated or spent enough time with you and Dad but I would have never realized that until I left.  I always think of Dad when I clean the kitchen and you when I floss my teeth. (I have just started and actually like it) I am sorry I am not there for Bon Bon but know that if she passes away I will see her again. I wish I were there for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the sports scores. I actually watched a little of that Broncos game last night. We were out tracting and some guy invited us in and he had it on so I just relaxed and watched for a while. It was pretty nice. Hopefully you all enjoy Thanksgiving and I will hopefully have a good week. I love you a lot,

Will

It's Raining.....surprise?!

Nov. 18 2013
Hi,
For my first 5 days here it has rained every day.  I will  be really happy to see the sun again.  In Brazil I will not complain about the sun!

My new companion is named Elder Penney and he has been out here for 9 months. He is a good missionary and knows a lot.  We ride bikes everywhere and a member lent me a nice mountain bike so that was nice. We have a couple investigators but no one too serious. We have to knock doors from 5-7 every night. Its really not too bad but Elder Penney has been in this area for 4 months and has knocked on every door already so it makes you wonder why anyone would want to hear us a second or third time visiting their door. I love you all a lot and wish I had spent more time with you when I was home. I guess you do not appreciate your home until you finally leave. it. I will keep you all in my prayers.

 Love,

Will 

From the Mission President....

Dear Brother and Sister Percival,

Just a quick note to let you know your son arrived safely in Tacoma today.  He was with a group of 14 new missionaries that arrived this morning.  We took them to see Puget Sound, fed them lunch, took photos, and then they began their orientation.  They got to experience a transfer meeting and hear testimonies of departing missionaries.

Elder Percival was interviewed and assigned a companion.  He was in good spirits and excited to get to work. We are thrilled that he is here in our mission.

Love,

 President and Sister Weaver

On the Plane....

Brother and Sister Percival,

It was a pleasure meeting your son on the airplane today. He's going to be a great missionary!

I live in Brazil right now and I'm rooting for him to get his visa!

Take care,

Derek Hall

Hello Washington

I do not think I need any clothes, in fact I might not need any sweaters from home. An elder who got re-assigned to Los Angeles gave me a couple sweaters that were polo and brand new with the price tag on them today so I do not think I will need any sweaters. I could use some daily vitamins though. Thanks for the sports scores, I am really excited about going to Washington but it will be weird to teach lessons in English as our first lesson in English was today for one hour. Otherwise it has been all Portuguese.  Thanks for the advice and always remember to have faith in God, because through him, we can truly do all things.

WJP

 November 08, 2013
Missionary Department
50 E North Temple ST 3WW
Salt Lake City, UT 84150-5400

Elder William Jay Percival
4007 Bridgeport Way W Ste D
University Place WA 98466-4330
United States

Dear Elder Percival:

Visa Status

By now you are aware that your visa to Brazil has not yet been approved. While this is undoubtedly a disappointment, please know that we are doing everything possible to secure your visa. We will notify you immediately when it is received. We ask that you and your family members not do anything, such as call or e-mail the consulate, to try to secure your visa more quickly. Such actions may actually slow down the visa process already in place.

While you are waiting, your mission experience in the United States will prove to be a great blessing in your preparation to serve in Brazil. We encourage you to work hard, remain focused, and be involved in all aspects of missionary work. As you serve the people in the Washington Tacoma Mission, your testimony and ability to teach will increase, you will set the pattern of study and hard work for the rest of your mission, and you will come to love the people.

May the Lord continue to bless you and your family as you dedicate yourself to preaching the gospel to those who are seeking and ready to accept your invitation to come unto Christ.

Sincerely,

Eduardo Gavarret
Assistant Executive Director

Good Bye Provo!

Well, we all got our re-assignments! 

It was pretty fun, our whole district and the district that got here the same day as us all opened them together. I will be serving in the Washington Tacoma mission until my Visa arrives from Brazil. I actually guessed I would go to Washington even though I had no idea. I really do not know much about the mission so you will have to send me some information on it. There is no Google here for me to use. I've always wanted to live in Washington because it is nice and rainy and not too bright so I am excited. I leave Tuesday morning and have to be at the travel office at 2:30 a.m. I have two flights; the first one leaves at 5:40 a.m. and goes to Denver. I then have an hour layover in Denver and leave to Seattle from Denver. Its a three hour flight as I arrive in Seattle at 10:05 but I lose an hour.

 I have learned from the people here who live in Washington that it does not get super cold, just the 30's and 40's. The other elders in the district went all over the U.S. Two went to New York City, two went to Twin Falls Idaho, and one went to South Dakota. The other District destinations included, Texas, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Los Angeles. We all went everywhere.

 I am very excited to get out into the field and actually teach some real investigators. Our last class is tomorrow and I will miss these elders in our district and our teachers. I also miss hearing L. Tom Perry who comes to speak Tuesday night here, but I am happy to finally leave. It's felt like I have been here forever. I get to make three phone calls from the airport but you have to answer because if you do not it still counts as a phone call, and I have only three. I think I will try to call from Denver but I do not have much time in between flights. I will be in Denver around 7:00 a.m. Denver time so you should let me know who to call and when I should. We use pay phones in the airport and buy these 5$ call cards. 

I am very happy I am not serving in Utah, Idaho, or South Dakota, but New York would have been cool. Its too bad it is Winter in Washington because the people from Washington say it is very pretty in the spring and fall.They also said that it does not snow much there but it rains so I am glad I brought Dad's coat to keep me warm. Didn't Mom grow up there?  I'll send that picture as soon as I can. Otherwise it has been a regular week here in the MTC. I have another P-day on Monday so I will get back on email that day. I am on an adventure. I also thought it was funny they sent me as far away from Fortaleza in the continental U.S as they could. Right in the corner.
 Love,
Will

And the next stop will be???

Thanks for the pics the house looks great! I passed out candy last year and I enjoyed it so I'm glad you and Dad did too. My Halloween consisted of me switching name-tags for a couple hours and thats it but I was not too bummed. I am just glad I am not in here for Thanksgiving or Christmas, not that would be depressing.  
That is very interesting what you talked about how you were calm and not afraid during the lockdown at school. When you're here in the MTC every website is blocked except LDS.org so we have been watching lots of Mormon messages and you will really enjoy this one. http://www.lds.org/pages/mens-hearts-shall-fail-them?lang=eng . It is about what you just described.

 I was thinking that I have not told you much about the MTC so I will talk a little more about my experience and what a unique place this is. There are about 2400 kids here in total. About 3/4 are on main campus which I am on, and everyone who is on West Campus is learning Spanish. New missionaries come in on Wednesdays and on a typical Wednesday about 600 new missionaries arrive. I got to host with my district last Wednesday which entails me escorting them to their room and getting them all the stuff they need. It was a lot of fun. I am tired of the food here though. After about two weeks I have had enough. It will be nice to get back into the real world and eat real food again. This place is truly unique thought. There are probably kids from 60 different countries here if not 100. For example, I talked to a nice elder from Sri Lanka who speaks, Sanlehe, English, and is learning a Philippine dialect. How many people in the world speak those three languages? Its just amazing where all these people come from and where they are going. I am still glad I am not learning Japanese, Mandarin, or a combination of two languages. 

One elder in our district got his Visa yesterday. Supposedly Washington D.C. is the consulate to go through as a lot of elders are getting Visas from there I'm just curious how Jared got his so quickly. God works in mysterious ways. I've become close with my district as we spend all day every day together. I have also met some amazing people here at the MTC. If I have learned anything about Mormons who go on missions, it is that they are  hardworking, intelligent, people. We might give the Jews a run for their money. Literally. Haha. I was sick for a couple days here but the Mucinex really helped and the tums have been fighting the MTC food and so far are winning. I'm sorry the Cardinals did not win the world series but at least it was not the Yankees. That was a very nice Halloween card you sent me and the elders were impressed with the crazy eyes. I am learning a lot about the gospel here and how it can help people. 

The spirit is really strong here and I miss being home but its fun to be on an adventure. Especially when I do not know where in the US I will be in two weeks. The last district went to Cal, Wash., Flo. Miss. Tenn. and Salt Lake. So your guess is as good as mine. I'll let you know next Friday as we find out next Thursday. I guess it will be nice to teach some lessons in English. Well that's all for this week, other than the sweatshirts I do not think I need anything. A small reading light would be nice actually, but nothing too expensive, just get it from Amazon. I'm 170 pages in Jesus the Christ, Dad would be proud. Did  you know it was written in the SLC temple? You learn a lot of cool stuff here.

Until next week, 

Elder Percival