Family!
So sorry last week was sort of a crummy letter, I was trying to get some pictures to you, and it wasn't working they way I wanted it to.
Ok, so I have a few things to say. In Viana do Castelo we are strapped a lot more for time with emails than in Viseu. Here our session is only 1 hour whereas in Viseu it was for as long as we wanted, but we were asked to keep it around an hour or so, but every week we went over by about 20 minutes. I also don't have the capability to send home pictures yet, but I think I will go to the mall in a few weeks to get a cord for my camera. The area I am in Extends all the way up to Spain, so I am lucky this transfer is 9 weeks so that we can see everything. We want to find a castle one week, we want to go up to Santa Luisa (pronounced lu-ee-za) and see the pre roman ruins, and go up to the Spain Portugal Border. The welcome to Spain sign is still technically in our mission area, so we can go and get pictures there, it is just big sign that says España, and that's it, but I think we will go. Theres a mountain elder Vrooman wants to go up and hike. There is a legit lighthouse by a member we are going to go to and a fort. Viseu didn't have that stuff. Also we figured out that if we plan our adventures for the last thing we do on P Day, and then visit all the members nearby, we can get our transportation payed for, because those things are sort of far away and cost a lot in transportation, but the mission will pay for it if we are going to the city to work, so we go early (like 3 or 4 pm and since p day ends at 6:30, we can see the sights for 2 hours and then go to the members and tract there.
Viana is the name of some sort of Sea Goddess, and Castelo means castle. The whole city was like a fort, and there really aren't any ruins left, but we are going to go and check some of them out today, so it was a walled city apparently.
My companions name is Elder Ammon Vrooman. He is from Castile, New York, about an hour from Palmyra. He has been out on his mission for 4 transfers and this is his 5th. He has been having me do a lot more with Português than elder brown, but it is good for me, it helps me with fluency a lot more. At times it is really frustrating, but I think it helps a lot more.
Our Branch here has about 20 members or so. The Chappel is an apartment complex has had some walls taken out and stuff. The apartments are a lot different in Portugal (they were this way in Viseu too), where there is one entrance for the 6 or 8 or 10 apartments, and all the doorbells are on the outside with an intercom system, and you can let them in or keep them locked out, it is pretty interesting. And then when you enter the main door, there are doors for the individual apartments or stairs to go up to yours.
Miracles happen every day on the mission, you just have to look for them. I was transfered to a new area this last week and my first full day there we taught a guy for the very first time the 3rd lesson. He was an old investigator that just came to church randomly. The elders got to know him, but everyday except thursday and sunday he has night classes for driving. The elders planned to go and meet with him those nights, but somehow forgot to write it down. I was transfered into the area on Thursday and we did a few contacts and went to bed. The next day (Friday), we were calling all of the members in our branch and investigators (we are so blessed to have 3 investigators. The whole time I was in Viseu, we only didn't even have any, we just had a ton of Potentials). We called them and this guy answered and told us that his class had been canceled and invited us over to his house, since we didn't go the other night. We went and taught the 3rd lesson and challenged him to baptism on the 18th of June. He said that it has been his desire for a while to be baptised and he continued to read the Book of Mormon from the last time that missionaries had given it to him. He said he knew it was true). He then said I know what this means, I have to quit smoking and drinking. He said that was the reason he wasn't baptized last time. We then said, yeah, but you can do it, we know it will be hard, but you can do it. (it is even harder for him because he lives with his brother, and his brother smokes, so he still has the influence). He said ok, i'll try. We went back on sunday and he said he hasn't smoked or drunk any alcohol since the last visit, but he is going through all the withdrawals and stuff. We told him of a program we have called Deixar de Fumar, and he said the other elders tried that with him, and it worked for the week, but then he stopped and relapsed. He said he is going to do his own program that is similar to Deixar de Fumar, and we just kinda shrugged and said good luck. Anyways, LONG story short, he is getting baptized on the 18th of June if everything goes as planned!!!
Also, I got to see my MTC companion at Stake Conference, which was awesome! It was a miracle for me to see him.
I know our savior lives and loves us, I know that god will help us in all that we need help with. Jesus Christ lives and loves us and will help us do things in our lives we need to do to enter and live again in God's kingdom.
With Love,Elder Hope
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Monday May 16, 2011
Family!
Guess what, transfers is this weeks and every elder in my district got a phone call, but only one of us are leaving from this district in Viseu.
Guess what, transfers is this weeks and every elder in my district got a phone call, but only one of us are leaving from this district in Viseu.
Anyways, so our story for the week. We have been teaching a less active member about the gospel and faith, and he has come to church the last 5 of 6 sundays. I looked at him and asked him straight out and asked him if I could read a scripture with him. I read D&C 15:6 and then asked him if he had thought about serving a mission. He paused, and said, no, i haven't. I told him time is short, but he still can (because he is 24) He said ok, I want to talk to you more about this, but I have to go right now. (this was at church, and his family was waiting for him) I should know what happens soon.
So remember how I said that one of the elders in my district was leaving . . . well . . . its me! I am going on thursday for Viana de Castelo, which is in Northern Portugal. My new companion I forgot his name, but I have just been ripped out of the place I love, its ok, I will live.
With Love.
Elder Hope
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Monday May 9, 2011
Family!
Ok, so a few important dates for you to know about. May 19th is transfers. Elder Brown is pretty sure that we will be staying in the same place, but just FYI, can you believe it has almost been one full transfer?, and I still can't figure out the keyboard.
Here we have a mall. One of these days we will go and get a cord for my camera, so I can email you the pictures rather than sending the card in a long thing. Some areas I will have to mail the memory card,
but In this area I don't have to.
Another cool cultural thing is that every notable city (for example Frisco, Plano, Mckinney, ect) has an emblem for their city and a special patch, that are only a euro or so, so a lot of elders like to collect them. the really small ones (like celina or ana) don't have the patches. At first I thought it was a high school thing, but it is for the city.
Mom sort of thought that we got a lot of money yesterday when I told her we get €210 a month. The truth is that is just perfect because everything here is a lot more expensive. We normally spend €30 to €40 a week on groceries.
Sad thing this week is that we didn't have any other lessons taught (I did in Coimbra, but they donºt count for Viseu). We had about 25 appointments for lessons (5 yesterday) and all of the lessons fell through, but we had 5 Less active member lessons. We are doing really good with the less active members.
It is doctrine that if you have to be sealed to inherit the heighest degree of the celestial kingdom, but is it doctrine that if your spouse is unworthy, than you would need to find another one? We have an eternal investigator that is smarter than half the missionaries that our president has told us to continue teaching, and she had that question. We don't know if that is doctrine or not.
I know that our savior lives and loves us. He is always on our side and I personally believe that Christ is constantly pleading with the Father on our behalf to help us and bless us missionaries. I can truly feel the prayers of the Faithful on my behalf. We know that in the holy temples we are remembered, but some of those blessings only come on requisite of us asking for them. I know that if you are ever feeling down, ask for those blessings, and you will have peace in the place of that despair. Christ Lives, and loves you too.
Your Friend and servant of the Lord
Elder Hope
Ok, so a few important dates for you to know about. May 19th is transfers. Elder Brown is pretty sure that we will be staying in the same place, but just FYI, can you believe it has almost been one full transfer?, and I still can't figure out the keyboard.
Here we have a mall. One of these days we will go and get a cord for my camera, so I can email you the pictures rather than sending the card in a long thing. Some areas I will have to mail the memory card,
but In this area I don't have to.
Another cool cultural thing is that every notable city (for example Frisco, Plano, Mckinney, ect) has an emblem for their city and a special patch, that are only a euro or so, so a lot of elders like to collect them. the really small ones (like celina or ana) don't have the patches. At first I thought it was a high school thing, but it is for the city.
Mom sort of thought that we got a lot of money yesterday when I told her we get €210 a month. The truth is that is just perfect because everything here is a lot more expensive. We normally spend €30 to €40 a week on groceries.
Sad thing this week is that we didn't have any other lessons taught (I did in Coimbra, but they donºt count for Viseu). We had about 25 appointments for lessons (5 yesterday) and all of the lessons fell through, but we had 5 Less active member lessons. We are doing really good with the less active members.
It is doctrine that if you have to be sealed to inherit the heighest degree of the celestial kingdom, but is it doctrine that if your spouse is unworthy, than you would need to find another one? We have an eternal investigator that is smarter than half the missionaries that our president has told us to continue teaching, and she had that question. We don't know if that is doctrine or not.
I know that our savior lives and loves us. He is always on our side and I personally believe that Christ is constantly pleading with the Father on our behalf to help us and bless us missionaries. I can truly feel the prayers of the Faithful on my behalf. We know that in the holy temples we are remembered, but some of those blessings only come on requisite of us asking for them. I know that if you are ever feeling down, ask for those blessings, and you will have peace in the place of that despair. Christ Lives, and loves you too.
Your Friend and servant of the Lord
Elder Hope
Friday, May 6, 2011
Monday, April 25, 2011
Howdy!
So this last week it rained and rained and rained. People don't feel bad for you if you have an umbrella, but if you put your umbrella in your bag and get all wet, then people feel bad (though i never tried that out, but other elders did, and i don't know how it turned out)
So just about all of our appointments fell through this week, but it's ok, we keep on going! We had an appointment with a member of the church that wanted us to teach her husband, a less active, so she decided to do something great. She invited us over for dinner! She is from Mozambique (which is better because Angolians, Mozambicanos, and Cabo Verdianos, are eaiser to understand, the portuguese are the hard ones to understand, and the brazillans . . . they are just another story. I love the brazillains, the pronounciate their words a lot better than the portuguese) Anyways, so we ate dinner at her house and we gave a lesson about the Death and ressurrection of Christ. Her Husband accepted our invite to hear all of the missionary lessons!, which is as good as a baptismal acceptance, and he came to church on sunday for the first time in almost 5 years!
Elder Johnson (from the mtc) and his companion (don't remember his companions name) had a baptism in our chapel the other day and the font water had a malfunction (it wouldn't come out) so me and a few other elders filled up the font the rest of the way with a hose. Our investigator didn't show up to the baptism (How Sad!)
We met a guy (I think he is mentally ill), but he stopped us and asked us for a book of mormon, which was way cool, we don't have his phone number or house adress because he said he didn't have either, but he was going to the hospital for some meds and wanted reading material, so we gave him all he wanted.
People double park here, and it really ticks some people off that get stuck.
No one has a dryer, it is all done by clothes lines, and they are actually really cool. The lines have consist of a pulley at both ends and a rope (obviously), so they can hang up one thing on the line on bottom, (there are two from the pulley system, one on top and one on bottom) and then you pull the one on top and you have room to put the other one. That way you can hang your clothes without having to move down the line, you can stand in the same spot (does that make sense) and then most have 4 to 5 pulley lines (each is a seperate line)
They have china stores here that have all you want except food, I haven't been in one yet, but we are going today.
Well, I have to fill out my letter to president before i run out of time.
Elder Hope
Muitos membros aqui chamam-me Élder Esperança.
So this last week it rained and rained and rained. People don't feel bad for you if you have an umbrella, but if you put your umbrella in your bag and get all wet, then people feel bad (though i never tried that out, but other elders did, and i don't know how it turned out)
So just about all of our appointments fell through this week, but it's ok, we keep on going! We had an appointment with a member of the church that wanted us to teach her husband, a less active, so she decided to do something great. She invited us over for dinner! She is from Mozambique (which is better because Angolians, Mozambicanos, and Cabo Verdianos, are eaiser to understand, the portuguese are the hard ones to understand, and the brazillans . . . they are just another story. I love the brazillains, the pronounciate their words a lot better than the portuguese) Anyways, so we ate dinner at her house and we gave a lesson about the Death and ressurrection of Christ. Her Husband accepted our invite to hear all of the missionary lessons!, which is as good as a baptismal acceptance, and he came to church on sunday for the first time in almost 5 years!
Elder Johnson (from the mtc) and his companion (don't remember his companions name) had a baptism in our chapel the other day and the font water had a malfunction (it wouldn't come out) so me and a few other elders filled up the font the rest of the way with a hose. Our investigator didn't show up to the baptism (How Sad!)
We met a guy (I think he is mentally ill), but he stopped us and asked us for a book of mormon, which was way cool, we don't have his phone number or house adress because he said he didn't have either, but he was going to the hospital for some meds and wanted reading material, so we gave him all he wanted.
People double park here, and it really ticks some people off that get stuck.
No one has a dryer, it is all done by clothes lines, and they are actually really cool. The lines have consist of a pulley at both ends and a rope (obviously), so they can hang up one thing on the line on bottom, (there are two from the pulley system, one on top and one on bottom) and then you pull the one on top and you have room to put the other one. That way you can hang your clothes without having to move down the line, you can stand in the same spot (does that make sense) and then most have 4 to 5 pulley lines (each is a seperate line)
They have china stores here that have all you want except food, I haven't been in one yet, but we are going today.
Well, I have to fill out my letter to president before i run out of time.
Elder Hope
Muitos membros aqui chamam-me Élder Esperança.
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