Monday November 7, 2011

To my family and friends,

I almost got robbed, but it is a good thing my comp is about 6 ft 6 in and looks fairly big.

The Sisters got locked out of thier home and we had to go and jimmy the lock for them, I have learned how to break in to homes without a key, but our doors in the USA wouldn't work.

So 2 really cool things happened this week. It all started with a Zone Conference. President Torgan called us and told us that we were having interviews with him. we had a great interview and at the end, President Torgan looked at me and said, Elder Hope, The lord wants you to have a baptism this week. I asked him who since 5 of our investigators at church were found drunk this last week and the last one is in an unknown location. So I asked the president who and he responded that he doesn't know, I just know that is what the lord wants. So we said, Ok, lets do it. So we worked all day Wednesday and Thursday . . . nothing. Friday we passed by a guy that went to church that has fallen away from us, he looked at us and said, When I went to church I felt something different and I want to change. I got drunk this last week and I don't want this anymore. I have quit drinking, quit smoking, and am ready to do whatever necessary to get that feeling back. We looked at our watch and it was 8 o clock, and we didn't have anything left, so we said, we still have a couple of things to teach you, are you going to be home tomorrow? He said only from 11 to noon, then I have to go and work. We said ok, and taught him the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th lesson in an hour, and scheduled the interview for 11 the next day. He passed the interview and was baptized on sunday. We are now reteaching him all the lessons.

So we do something called eyes of faith, where we pray to find out who we should contact or where we should go. One time, when I was in Viseu I honestly feel like I saw a family with a stroller going up a hill. I could litterally see them. I found them in Ermesinde and we taught them a lot, Marta and Arlindo. They were my family away from home. We were walking and we were on a perpendicular street and had already passed them, and then I looked back and I saw that family. I went and contacted them, and we taught them the whole time I was there. I got a phone call yesterday that they were baptized and comfirmed yesterday. I was talking to Marta on the phone and she was nearly crying and told me that I was the reason she was baptized. She thanked me for contacting her and her husband. Arlindo said thanks again and offered me a place to stay if I am ever passing through. They are an amazing family and I am so greatful they were baptized.

We had another investigator out of the blue find us again and asked if he could start paying tithing without being a member. It is crazy how all of our drunks have decided that they want to be sober for the rest of their lives.

I really can't think of much more that is happening, alot of the things here in portugal make sense if you don't think about it. Their bread it to die for though. I am having fun I can understand why some elders come home, The mission really is a place that forces you to stretch to your limits, to points where the only place left to fall is on your knees. The lord never said it would be easy, but it would be worth it. I have had companions that I absolutely love to death and will do anything one for another and I have had a companion that drive me up the walls, Luckily for me Elder Washburn is a stud. He is super cool, just sometimes he lets his mind wander a little to far.

Anyways I have to go now, but it is going good here.

Love,

Elder Hope