Listening and Being Obedient

Okay so I had a grand experience this past week, I want to bear my testimony to you about being obedient or at least trying your best to be. The Zone Leaders wanted us to contact 10 people a day. I had forgotten about this until Elder Mortensen was asking for the weekly numbers and asked how many we had contacted, it was a sad number, and I’ve been thinking of the Atonement a lot and getting over fears, being humble and more intuned with the spirit, mom your letter really struck a cord with me. Anywho on Wednesday we hadn’t really done anything because we had to make lunch for the district and so we cooked and had district meeting cooked more, ate and cleaned up. So anyway we got out and to start our day after that and we were throwing away our trash and I had the feeling to talk to this man standing nearby and like typical I’m like uh well he’s walking away so no, but then he didn’t walk far away and I felt like you need to talk to this man. So I was trying to tell my comp but she wasn’t getting me, so I was like that’s it, and just went right up to him well he wasn’t interested and even had the attitude of the fear, I don’t want to change my religion I’m not going to talk to you. So we left him with a card and moved on, I. Beckett then stopped another lady and she rejected us, so she was like it’s your turn, so I was like okay and then she’s told me to talk to this guy walking in front of us and I was like No, because he was young and I prejudged and was like he won’t want to listen to us, but ha ha thank goodness I was wrong. Anywho we talked to him, and he had talk to the Elders a long time ago and had the Book of Mormon but gave it to his sister, but we started teaching him, and he said everything made sense and the spirit was really strong and it was an awesome conversation, the ones that remind you why you want to be a missionary. So we had found ourselves a wonderful new investigator, we’re meeting with him tomorrow so we’ll see how it goes. It was a way sweet experience and a tender mercy from the Lord it just made us full of the spirit and happy, even though Fransico and Linda were at home but pretended like they weren’t they wouldn’t answer the door but we saw them moving around in there but I digress, anywho back to the story) It was only through that wanting to be obedient to the council of contacting that we were able to find our new investigator Alberto and listening to the spirit, with that first man because even though we got rejected first it put me into that contacting everyone mood, if not we would have walked right on past Alberto trying to get to Fransicos and Linda´s. Because contacting moving targets is not the easiest way to contact. So that was exciting. We also contacted minias young girls about 13 or 14 and at first they were laughing at us but we started to teach about the plan of salvation and they got really interested and were asking all these questions and one of them really wanted the Book of Mormon, it was an awesome experience. Also we contacted a Brazilian what a breath of fresh air, that’s why Brazil has so many members, they are open and willing to listen to you, it was great and she was nice. So now we’ll see how all these awesome new people progress, of course I might have only about a week and a half left here I don’t know we’ll see.

Day with the Marinhos

So spent the day in Braga with the Marinhos I love them, they took us to Sameiro but it was foggy and bad weather. But we had lunch, and played Mormon Mad Gab, they’re great, it was interesting being around a bunch of Brits all day, it was great I had a grand time. Well I love you all and I’m grateful for your letters of support and your prayers, I love love love this gospel and all of you too.

Pictures from Aubs!

On Friday we got a package from Aubrey. It has a couple of pictures, letters, gifts , and Portugese candy. Everyone loved the Portugese version of Starbursts!

According to Aubrey - "Yay for missionary work! This is in Guimaraes - this is my gratitude for the pictures that have been sent. I want Halloween pics ASAP - okay - okay. Love to you all!"

" This is a hard day of study, actually it's the night after Domingo's baptism-I got to celebrate by writing a talk. We roasted Starbursts over the stove - it was great! "

Learning Love and Patience

Well I'm learning to love and be more patient with my comp each and everyday so things are a lot better. She's good going through the ups and downs of the mission, she got really discouraged on Friday, so I got to be the one to cheer her up and bring her view into perspective, so that was nice, I was in such a good mood on Friday it was so crisp and lovely out, just watching the trees change colors and the leaves slowly fall from the tree, it didn't even matter that we got stood up. Anywho it was nice to be able to help her, I do feel so bad for her, because I talk about missing you, and then I'm like dough! but I told her my family is her family and she'd be so excited to get something in the mail, because nobody has been sending her stuff, even e-mails or letters. Well I love you and miss you so inceredibly much, man my spelling is atroshish but that's what happens when you have no time.

This was a Looooong Week!

I don’t know about anyone else but this week seemed to last for an eternity. Last Monday was just weird being in Porto for P-day, okay being in a foreign country at the dentist is freaky, I don’t know the vocabulary for all of that, and then there was that big giant x-ray machine that circles around you, I’m use to getting the big jacket thrown on you and getting all these different types of things shoved in your mouth, it was a different experience that’s for sure. I don’t know about my tooth though we’ll see how it holds up, the dentist didn’t even have a mask on, what’s that all about? We went to Gaia to get my comp better shoes, that’s a really beautiful area too, we’ll have to go there mams and paps.So I realized I am a planter, I don’t know if I’ve gone off on this subject before, but I am a planter, planting little seeds here and there to everyone, it’s nice because we’re building our investigator pool up once again, but there’s sure a lot of contacting that goes along with that, which is okay, I think I like that part of missionary work, starting out finding people and getting them going, no it’s not as rewarding, but it’s just as important.

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.