Growth in Guimaraes

There is a definite growth going on here in Guimarães, it’s a lot different than when I first arrived, so that’s been pretty exciting to witness. I know it will only continue to grow too. We talked to some one awesome yesterday, he actually listened, he’s studying philosophy, but he questioned and was open minded, that’s something you don’t find a lot here, in this very very, Catholic part of Portugal.

Also lessons are going good with our velhoatas (old ladies) No they’re not progressing with reading and well their prayers are getting better, sigh, but we taught them the Plano de Salvação and they seemed to get it and like it.

The best part of last week was the Elders had a baptism, a mother and daughter (she’s the one that just showed up to church, her cousin is a member in Brazil) it was really good a lot of people showed up. The best part of it all is of course the spirit that was present, it´s wonderful the spirit that is felt when they’re being baptized, so sweet, and beautiful, honestly it’s so delicious. Anywho our velhoatas definitely felt it. Conceção was so impressed and one of the younger members of the ward said the closing prayer, and she was amazed at how pure and beautiful it was and she was just going on and on about it. Conceção I love her she’s more the emotional one, she has a lot of faith and just is more feeling, more receptive to the spirit I think, where Amélia understands the doctrine better, good thing we’re teaching them together so they can help each other out, anywho I think Conceção wants to be baptized she talks about “when they’re baptized” she also said the members are different they’re open and friendly, so she was impressed with them. So yay we finally got them to come to church because of that, Conceção got a priesthood blessing because she’s having eye surgery, so we’ll see how that goes too. Other than that, we’re going to work more with the less actives this week, and I still haven’t been able to teach Gracielle, so great is my tristeza (sadness) Anywho I love this church, I love studying about it. I love my Portugal and my Guimarães and even the language sometimes although it doesn’t love me. I miss all of you terribly, and hope that you all are well. The Lord truly is aware of all of us, just to have that knowledge and to know that He is my friend and confidant is what gets me through when I’m struggling, I am so blessed. I thank you all for your friendship and the lessons you have taught me. I love you all.

I Am Sooo Blessed!

I am so blessed, it's amazing how blessed that I am. I'm realizing this, that I do have a great, grand wonderful support system and I'm so glad to hear that everyone is doing well. That everyone is happy, healthy and having great experiences, spiritual ect. I love to hear about this, it's hard not to be apart of it, but I know the Lord is blessing me here, even though I've hit another rough patch for myself. I am doing a lot better though, simmering down a lot more and all that jazz. It's hard because with this comp I don't exactly click, I loved Schantell because she got me and I could say anything and she didn't take it to heart or lets just say she wasn't like a girl about it. My comp however is not like that, she's such a girl and we all know that us Evans' are a bit sarcastic/cynical, not good I'm finding out, but that's how I am so I'm learning and it gets better everyday as I get use to her, and now I'm having a resolve to really actually have a positive attitude, practicing it, because I've come to realize that I've been praying for a whole lot, courage to open my mouth, the gift of tongues, to have charity, to find new investigators, to have patience, ect. I realized that I was just praying for them and not acting, not demonstrating my faith. I was able to have my interview with President and it was wonderful, first off he told me I was doing a good job, which I know you all have been saying that, but you're not with me everyday and neither is he but he does see my numbers ect. Anywho it's good because he helped me pinpoint a problem I need to work on and that is PRIDE, yay the universal sin, there are so many different parts to pride, which I need but now I'm having to clean out of my system, because I thought I was having less pride in one area which I am, but now in these other areas I'm very prideful, not accepting help, and beating myself up, not forgiving myself, so I thank you all for your words of encouragment and love and support, I am soooo blessed!

Voting

I already sent my ballot off so I'm good. So I had a fine experience with voting, I got the ballot and I'm like I don't know who or what to vote for, I didn't really understand all the bills ect. so I prayed and it was neat, the spirit was helping me choose, I've never done that before, it was a sweet experience. I've been hearing things about the US that have made me sad, I hope everything is alright with you all with the banks and all.

Service Project

So I want you to do a service project for me, do you think you can manage that? My companion is an orphan and was kind of sad when I got my package, by the way thank you mamma so forever much for my package, it cheered me up, I loved the pictures, oh my family I love you, the pictures were wonderful and Peanut Butter M&Ms oh you can hold off the knee highs for a while. Anywho could you, the family, maybe put a package together for her, with American stuff, things from deseret book just little stuff letters of encouragement, whatever, nothing too big, I had that idea. Listening to her I know I'm so blessed I don't know what I'd do if anyone in our family passed a way, well I do know but it's to awful to think about especially now since I haven't seen you all, I pray so much for your health and safety.

The Work is Progressing

Lets see so this week we got 4 new investigators, yay, it was neat when I told Elder Mortensen about that he was very happy because he knows we've been struggling and they've been having a lot of success. We'll see where we go with them, our new investigators that is. Our old ladies brought a friend, we gave her the Book of Mormon and she's coming back next week.

Baptism, The Atonement, and etc.

We have a baptism this Saturday. I'm so excitited for it, we have a lot of people we want to invite to it, and maybe that will help them feel more comfortable to want to go to church. So pray that all goes well with the baptism and that our investigators show up. I'm feeling better though, getting use to my new situation in the same old place, it only took 3 weeks hooray. I am so grateful for the Atonement though, I'm still understanding it, and I don't think I'll ever quite get it, what a precious gift our Savior is. I have a lot to learn about forgiveness too and I need to start practicing it. Hmm this is about it for me. Can you believe it was a year ago Saturday that I got my call?? CRAZY, anywho this week was full of going to Porto, I went Tuesday for Zone Conference, Wednesday, Thursday to trade back my comp and today, for the dentist appt. that freaked me out, I ended up having a little cavity just barely starting, I miss the United States, oh well hopefully I won't have to go to another dentist for a while. Oh yeah I got to be companions with a Brazilian again, she was way awesome so kick back and chill and she knows English, pretty well, so it was good to be with her because I spoke more Portuguese. I love you all and thank you all so much, right back at you, you are all in my prayer também I love hearing about your lives, keep it up. The church is true of this I know!

Wonderful General Conference

Okay so President Ukdorfs- like I can spell that -talk at the Relief Society brodacast was amazing and then Saturday Morning session was I can’t even put into words how wonderful it was it hit the spot. This weekend not a lot was accomplished missionary wise which is forever sad. On Saturday we rode up to Braga, went and had a street meeting, I was busy drawing the plan of salvation and then I had to leave to the Relief Society broadcast so I didn’t get to talk to anyone and I missed Sister Becks talk-such sorrow. Then we watched conference and it was like everything that was said was centered exactly on what I needed to hear, isn’t it amazing how that works out. So I was very up lifted and happy, it’s so good to receive that strength from your leaders and feel the spirit so strongly like that, definitely one of the best sessions I’ve heard, of course I never appreciated conference like this before just in the last couple of years. Anywho so we stayed in Braga overnight, I just can’t get away from Braga, I don’t know what it is, and that predio brings back bad memories, I don’t like it there, oh well it wasn’t so horrible but it was good to get back and sleep in my own bed. Anywho Sunday wasn’t as great. It started out good we went to the Marinhos for lunch, and that was so enjoyable. She told me about her conversion story it’s awesome, ah I totally love her, she is so my mission mum.

Irma Evans with new companion, Irma Beckett

Conversion of Lynda Marinho

She joined because of one of the Osmond brothers the one that played the drum, anywho she said she was on holiday with her friend when they were about 15 and they had nothing to do and they loved the Osmonds and knew about Mormons so they wanted to go see what the Osmonds did on Sunday, they went to the church and it was closed (she said this was the spirit telling them to go back) So they went back the next day and ran into a janitor who told them where to find the sister missionaries. Anywho they met up with them and had a lesson but she said her friend and her were really irreverent and made fun of everything and were basically mocking the sisters. One of the sisters didn’t speak English really well but she said that if this wasn’t true then they could continue laughing at them, but if it was they were going to be in trouble (anyway the sisters invited them back to play ping pong). She said that really scared her, so she went in the bathroom and prayed and said she got her answer and was like oh no it is true, (unknow to her, her friend did the same thing and go the same answer) they were on holiday remember and she didn’t live near the church and she told her parents she wanted to be baptized, (they were going through a divorce at the time) anywho her dad was against it, and she was like I’m going to be baptized when I’m 18 then and never talk to you again. Her dad did soften his heart though and it’s all because of missionaries, he took the discussions a long time before and he said if those were the type of people Mormons were then he’d let her join the church. She sent in a referral to be baptized and nothing happened she sent in a second one and nothing so finally she went and sought after the missionaries and they went to the Elders house and one ran out of the house and jumped over the fence and ran off, while the other came through a gate. (Turns out it was there P-day and they never use the gate they always just jump over the wall and go, but this Elder had an impression to go through the gate) anywho isn’t she amazing, I wish more people were like that, I wish the Portuguese were like that.

Conference Continued

Back to conference Sunday I’m all excited and we go and the Elders are hovered around the computer, turns out the TV stopped working, and then they couldn’t get the Internet to work properly so I didn’t even really get to see that conference just the last two talks and they were in Portuguese and then we had to watch the last session in Portuguese, much to my dismay, yes the spirit was there and it’s the same but I get ADD faster in Portuguese plus I understand but I don’t get it. Also I miss hearing their voices and the emotion in their voices. I couldn’t watch the last session because it went from 9pm to 11pm so yeah, triste. It just made me realize how much I took conference for granted before and I’m sorry, and maybe that experience is to help me understand how investigators feel when we tell them about the gospel, the understand the words and feel the spirit but they need help getting it.

Yay For Tuesday!

Lets see good things that happened last week Tuesday, yay for Tuesday it was a good day. We had a lesson with Conceção and Amélia, and it was good, I think it was too long we need to shorten those up and be more basic with them. Conceção still doesn’t quite understand prayer-she prayed to Jesus- but she said that she feels God in the chapel and she believes Joseph Smith was a prophet and that what we’re telling her is true. Amélia even brought up the topic of baptism, but we still have a long way to go with those two. They wanted to come back on Thursday and bring a friend so that made our day right there. Also later that night I saw a lady with her groceries and usually these people reject help, but I asked and she was like yes, then she continued to go on about how bad the world is, and we were like yes, but you can find your own happiness, so she’s going to come to the chapel on Wednesday and watch Encontrar Felizidade and hopefully become a new investigator. There’s my great missionary act for the week. Other than that it’s hard being the leader and I just feel like I’m doing everything all wrong, oh well, I need to be patient with myself. So Zone Conference is tomorrow yay, more traveling, and I get a new comp for 2 day, exchanges. My companion is wonderful and I do like her, but there’s just times where it’s like “I can live with you for another 5 weeks yes I can” It’s fun learning about English/English and other things, and I really do like her and she really is an amazing person only a convert of two years. Any who I’m ready to get back to work because I need to.