More Pics From Portugal

Irmas Secrest, Nelson, Evans, & Svedin

Fransico and Family

So our wonderful family has things that make them not so wonderful, of course. Anywho we watched the restoration with them and that was good and but then he started quoting us stupid scriptures in the JW bible that he loves, we really need to trade him for a Biblia Segrada, will do that next time. Anywho we have a lot to work with them still, but he gets things and they enjoy our lessons and like us there and he believes the Book of Mormon. Tthey just said they don’t like making appointments because life happens so it will be tough but we’ll get them to understand the Gospel helps us with life and actually makes it easier to live even though life is unpredictable.

Crazy People in Portugal

So are genie pants the style there in the states? Because they are here and they look ridiculous.

Ha ha so there’s this crazy man that walks around and is mean, he has a whistle (who gave him a whistle) anyway one day he came chasing I. Svedin and spit at her, anywho we were leaving the chapel and walking down the street when she spots him, so she’s like tries to hurry and cross the street but there were too many cars so she books it back to unlock the chapel gate and we hid there till he left, it was pretty funny.

We’ve been stopping a lot of guys in cars lately, I don’t know why I didn’t have this affect back in the states, I’d be there and not here, if I did, anyway I don’t know how pure there intentions are but they get church pamphlets YAY.

Malfunctioning Banana Bread

So I have a story, I. Svedin made some wonderful banana bread with chocolate chunks, they don’t have chocolate chips here, so we have to chop up cooking chocolate bars but that’s beside the point. So it was so wonderful when she made it, delicious and all, it was hard not to eat more. Well next morning I’m like I’ll have some for breakfast so I’m studying and pull apart the banana bread to enjoy and I’m like ‘HEY the chocolate is moving GASP’ there was a huge beetle on my banana bread, it was horrible….I ate it anyway, I’m not going to let that go to waste. Anyway I asked I. Svedin about it later and she’s like I thought you just found a piece of hair in your banana bread I was like no I wouldn’t have freaked out. Anyway she cut a piece and I wanted a piece, I’m eating this piece and of course I find a piece of hair that I’m gagging on in my bread, I was like one more bad thing and I’ll be ruined of banana bread, no not as bad as maggots but still, I don’t want to be ruined from banana bread.

The Branch in Guimaraes

Oh, our branch! Some of the families in it just make me want to cry, but honestly truly living simple gospel principals, like family prayer and scripture study really strengthens the family. Because as you all know satan hates the family and he wants it destroyed and he will worm his way in. We were giving a lesson to one of the members and on how the gospel blesses families. Anywho they made it horrible, first no one would answer our question they were fighting over who had to answer it, then the daughter gave a typical teenage reply but added my annoying mom and my mias ou menous chato pai, then the dad went off on how horrible his daughters were (right in front of them) and how they are so disobedient. I. Svedin and I were stunned, but then we’re like if you want respect you have to treat your daughters with love and respect, yes they need to honor you but they need that example, and pois they weren’t doing anything together as a family. Which when I get back I totally am going to plan fun things to do with our family and for all the little nieces and nephew, I’m serious-it will be great fun.

Pics From Portugal

Happy Birthday to Me!

These are what the streets are like. They are killer to the feet and legs.

Here are some Pictures taken in Braga, my first area in the Porto Mission.

Work in Guimaraes

So the Elders brought up in district meeting that we need to keep finding, teaching ect because you don’t want to be left with no investigators, it was kind of like that before Domingos and it fell apart again the week before his baptism where our investigators just stopped progressing, but the Lord is so mindful and he blessed us with Fransico and Linda, I love them and they have a daughter who listened in on the first lesson too.We found them at night time when we both wanted to go back and we were going to go shopping for supplies first because it was a Saturday night and we needed stuff for fast Sunday, but Irmã Svedin felt like we should go out and try contacting first, so we went out and she’s like where do you want to go and I was leading and I didn’t feel like going to a certain spot that usually worked for us, so I was like here, and so we saw them sitting on a bench, and she’s like they’ll probably reject us and and I was like probably but oh well, because we talk to a lot of couples like that but they’re perfectly content with being Catholic. Anywho we were shocked when he was very interested in what we were saying, his wife wasn’t so much, she believed there is one God and one church but she doesn’t like going to meetings, anyway she left but we talked with Fransico more and found out that he likes studying religion, and he was investigating the JW’s before and came to the conclusion of it’s either our church or the JW’s, he briefly talked with the Elders from a while back so he knew about Joseph Smith and he just wondered why Joseph’s name wasn’t in the bible, and we’re like he is in it, but we have to walk by faith, and how dumb would that to put the name in the bible and one could name their child Joseph Smith and claim, that he was chosen, come on people think. Anywho, he was very friendly and very interested and we got his address and he said that he’d come to church. So he didn’t come to church, and he had holidays so we waited to call, but when we did call they were like yes come over and I was just dumbfounded that we were actually going to their house and we had an appt. and that contacting does work, it just takes a lot of work, and talking to a lot of people. So we found their house and they kept their appt, that’s a rarety here. Their daughter about 15 I’d say stayed and listened and we taught the 1st lesson and answered their questions and it was good the spirit was present and they are so very nice. They go t excited about the baptism, but ended up forgetting about it. So we were wondering when we should contact them next and on Sunday we were doing contacts in a different park and this lady wouldn’t even listen to me and usually we leave after we’ve been rejected but I was like I’m going to talk to everyone here, and I saw a couple and got ready to contact them and Lo and behold it was them, and found out that after 4 days of reading the Book of Mormon he was in chapter 37, and he even told us about Nephi and he understood the concept about prophets and the modern day one we have today and was teaching his wife, who still doesn’t really understand it and she doesn’t like to read so I was like we have a film about the restoration and Joseph Smith, would you like to watch, it! Yeah! I love them so kind pray for them pray for us to teach and have the spirit, and they’re like just call us if you need to cancel and we’re like no way is that happening. I really hope they progress to baptism; it’s nice that we’re all baptism happy right now. The Lord has truly blessed us here in Guimarães but there’s still a lot to be done especially with our members, they’re really nice people, but they don’t understand having love and compassion for one another it’s like they’re trying to live the Gospel all alone here and it’s just not right.

First Baptism

Domingos with Irma Evans and Irma Svedin

Yay! Domingos was baptized and confirmed this week! The Elders had me all afraid because talking about how satan tries his hardest which he does, but Domingos is a member of the church and him and Irmã Alberta can be happy and get married, now all we have to do is keep him a strong member, and help his faith grow because the whole process happened so fast. Prepping someone for baptism in just three weeks took a lot of work. It was good and definitely a tender mercy from the Lord, because now I’ve learned a little more about how to set up a baptism and it does have me more pumped to work harder to bring people to the waters of baptism.