Apr. 20, 2015 - I don't have a clever subject this week...

Olá todo mundo!

 

This week was pretty hectic! Last week we went up to Guimarães for P day so that was sweet! Portugal has some pretty awesome old little towns. And this was the oldest town in Portugal. But no really Portugal was born there so that was cool! 

But on saturday we had out Noite da Cinema! We had a fun movie night where we watched the Testaments at the church and we encouraged everyone to bring friends and investigators and things and it was pretty fun! We had about 30 people show up so that was pretty disappointing but oh well it was still fun! The sisters and us were kinda of in charge of it so we had to call every member and menos ativo and every investigator ever and make popcorn and buy food and drinks and set everything up so that was pretty stressful but it all came together! The testaments is actually a pretty powerful movie! 

But on Thursday we had a milagre! We had a pretty firme compromisso that fell and we were pretty discouraged at about 7:30 with nothing to do. So we called a number in our phone that we had been meaning to call for quite a while and she answered! So we asked if she could meet at the church right then and talk. And she said yes! So we taught her and she ended up being childhood friends with our ex bishop and it was crazy! She said she would read the LDM and everything! It really lifted our spirits because we had had a pretty hard day up until then. So yeah don't let anyone go! Even if they were just some random street contact that gave you their phone number! Hahah but it was awesome she's super elect!

Love You all! Keep trusting in the Lord in all things and he will lift your burdens!

Mosiah 24:14-15

 

 

Apr. 13, 2015 -

Olá everyone! We're up in Gumarães right now so I'm probably not going to write a main letter becasue we only have like 40 minutes because we want to go see the sights! But spring break sounds awesome! Jared and Tori are spoiled haha but California sounded way fun! Congrats on the mini golf mom haha

But yeah this week was pretty rough. Basically everyday we would have some pretty solid plans then they would fall. So we only taught like 8 lessons this week. Oh well. So theres not that much to talk about about the work but I got the package! THANK YOU!!! It was awesome! And thanks or the advice and the scripture. This week was a little better. We've actually been eating pretty healthy! but thanks I'll try to buy some of those things today. Tell Everyone hi and I miss them and love them and to give references to the missioanries! haha that's basically all we're going to do this week. Visit members and ask for references. Wish us luck! Sorry this week was lame. Next week will be better! Fiquem bem!

Love Elder Powell

 

 

He got our package!   Yay!!

 

Apr. 6, 2015 - Hospital....

Happy Easter and Conference all my fellow saints!

This week was awesome! The sun has been out and it's getting really hot and actually too hot. The sweat is slowly starting to come... But at least it's not rain right?!

Conference was awesome and we got to watch some sessions live and some recorded in English with some other ward members who speak English. It was pretty strange to hear those people oppose the prophet but oh well. That only reaffirms how much they are truly men of God! But from conference I basically learned that I need to get married tomorrow and start a family on wednsday. Hahaha sorry apostles, I'm kinda stuck here in Portugal. But no really the amount of talks about marriage and families were so awesome! I truly Love my family and I wouldnt trade them for anything!(: And it was so cool when L Tom Perry said that at the Summit in the Vatican the one Muslim representative quoted verbatim form the Proclamation of the Family! That was cool. Mormon pride! 

We had a Zone meeting in Porto this week and we go to the train station and they are having a strike. All the train drivers didn't work this whole week and caused us some problems haha so we had to grab a taxi and a bus and two metros and we got there a half hour late....oops. 

But yeah this week we went to the Hospital! 

One of our really close investigators, Alexendra, had a baby on Friday!! It was so awesome! Pedro Miguel is his name and hes 3 kgs, (like 7. something lbs.) and healthy and everything! She is a single mom so she didn't really have that much support, only from her two brothers, and us! But he is so cute and the mom is healthy and I've really come to love them. It was a miracle though because she smoked all during her pregnancy.... but they're healthy ad normal! At the hospital we talked a lot about the innocence of precious new babies and about how important families are. The spirit was so strong and she even said that when we come we bring a different peace and spirit so she is truly starting recognize the spirit! Hopefully by this time next week she'll be marked for baptism!:D She's elect. 

 

But yeah this week was awesome and Easter and conference being on the same weekend is always awesome! I know that My Redeemer lives and I know he suffered for me and for you. He rose on the 3rd day and I know only through him we can become our best and most perfected selves! 

 

Love you all and have a good week! Até logo! (:

 

 

Mar. 30, 2015 - Porque Ele Vive

Olá de Braga!

So we had a baptism this week!!! I don't know if you remember that grandson of the member in our ward but we taught him this week and he got baptized yesterday!! It was awesome! He's a cool little dude. His family was not happy that he has to wait until next week to receive the holy ghost but since he's older than 8 he was to wait a week. But yeah here's a picture of him!

Saturday we had a triple baptism in our ward too! 2 little 8 year old girls and an 11 year old that the sisters taught. It was quite the crazy Portugal party. The chapel was full and basically every Mormon in Braga was there because they're all daughters of men in the bishopric. So we have the Baptism and it was really nice. Then we have some food after and it was a ton! So everyone eats that then they bring out THE MAIN COURSE! Hahaha they had like 5 huge pans of Feijoada (a bean and meat stew that is to die for) With all this rice. A missionary's dream. THEN they bring out the desserts! All these pastries and cake and fruit and ice cream and it was incredible how a little church kitchen could have this much food! Then a member in our ward is on Portugal's Got Talent in the Finale as a magician and he did this huge magic show that was just incredible. So basically we stayed at the church from 5-9 for this baptism of some girls in our ward. I'm not complaining. :D

We also had a division this past week with the Zone Leaders which was actually really awesome. I learned a ton about how to teach better and how to really get to now the people we're teaching better. And also how important it is to TESTIFY at every chance we get. Sometimes when we would contact people on the street we would just say our little routine but the Zone leader would just immediately start testifying which was really awesome!

Well with Easter this week I guess I'll share a little thought. So I hope all you people out there have seen the Because He Lives video that the church put out this weekend. It's incredible. HE LIVES. He is there for you and and he is there for me. NO matter what we've done in the past he is still there for us. He wants us to succeed and he knows us better than anyone. I've learned on the mission that the Atonement is not just for sins but for hard times too, and I've had a lot of hard times. We can use the Atonement when we need help in anything, when we're sad, when we're stressed, when we just get depressed for no reason. He is there for us. 

"In the strength of the Lord we can do and overcome ALL things as we press forward on our journey of mortality" -- Elder Bednar. 

Happy Easter and happy Conference weekend this weekend. HE LIVES (:

 

 

Mar. 23, 2015 - The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for the good man to do nothing

That quote is spray painted on the path we walk down everyday. Its pretty good actually! 

Anyway this week was sweet! We have a baptism this Sunday!! Haha but the story behind it is hilarious! We have a member in our ward with a grandson who has been coming to church for years and knows everything but isn't baptized. I don't know why he isn't but he's 12 years old and so we just have to teach him some stuff and review and make sure he's ready for baptism. But the funniest thing happened because we hadn't even met him and yesterday they announced his baptism from the pulpit! haha he wasn't even a new investigator yet! hahah strange but fun!

Oh so we were eating lunch on Wednesday and we hear these two huge explosions. Like our windows kinda rattled. So we look out the window and there's this huge fire probably a mile away or so but it was intense! It was up on this hill and they put it out pretty fast it was intense. Heres a picture. 

But yeah we also have this other investigator Karen. She is elect! We only taught her the first lesson but she is so prepared and so ready! She has a 16 year old son with pretty bad autism which is making her skeptical to come to church but we also have a member in our ward with a 16 year old son with autism so guess who's going to teach with us? Its going to be awesome! Hopefully she'll have a baptism date in next weeks email!

Well love you all! If you think you can or you can't; YOU'RE RIGHT!

Mar. 9, 2015 - The ward is most important

Tudo bem!

Well this week was quite interesting. On tuesday I got a migraine so I stayed home all day and just slept in a dark room . That was fun. And at the same time my comp had some virus bug thing and the Stake missionary health lady told him to go on a 24 hour fast only drinking Coke. Haha strange but apparently the chemicals in the coke kill the virus. But it worked! Crazy stuff. 

But on saturday we did a little Mini-Mission or MTC activity with the youth in our ward. There were 8 Youth there and we paired them up as companions and we taught them about our daily schedule and how to sew and how to iron and we made lunch ad we practiced street contacting and it was a pretty fun experience for them! Then at the end we gave each dupla 2 cards and said dont come back with them. It was so awesome! The looks on their faces were priceless! Hahah so I took a dupla and my comp took a dupla adn the sisters too and we went to a park and had them do street contacts! It was so fun and they did surprisingly well. I was with a 16 year old kid Joel and he was really outgoing and gave his out way fast. We had a lot of fun.

Its been pretty hot this week and I got a taste of the Portuguese sun but the sun brings out people so our contacting pool grows with every degree it goes up haha

We made pancakes! With bananas and they were quite incredible. The sisters in our district have a baptism this week so thats really awesome and really brought up our spirits about the tough work here. 

Last night we had dinner with a member family and they have a 16 year old son with a mental handicap. His biological mom did drugs during her pregnancy and he was adopted by this family. And they told the story of when he turned 12 he could do baptisms for the dead in the temple. And when he came out he was dissapointed. They asked why and he said becasue he didn´t see Jesus. They kinda laughed about it but the next time they went they asked if he saw Jesus and he said YES. Sitting on the bench inthe baptistry.They asked what he was wearing and he said a purple robe. It was incredible. I believe it 100%. This meek innocent boy was expecting to see Jesus and when he didn´t he was dissapointed. The amount of faith he had to have had is incredible. Then when he did see him to be wearing a purple robe. Amazing. 

I dont know how to tie that in to a spiritual thought but it was just a cool story. Well love you guys! I can feel your prayers every day. The mission is awesome! Com Amor!

Mar. 2, 2015 - We're Master Chefs

Hello from cloudy rainy Braga!

Haha yup its still raining! Ok its not exactly "rain". Imagine this. Theres a really big fan with those mist sprayers, but like 30 feet away. And you just get that light\decent mist. but all the time. haha thas Braga for you. 

Well to start I just want to say that me and Elder Arnold have been cooking like wizards! haha this week we made shepherds pie! yup with homemade mashed potatoes and everything. Then on friday we made chicken cordon bleu! No joke! We sliced open some chicken breasts shoved in some cheese and ham and dipped them in flour then eggs then cracker crumbs to have the batter crust. Yeah heres a picture haha it was quite divine. 

Last P day we went to the big cathedral up on the hill over looking Braga called Bom Jesus and it was sweet! Catholics are pretty good architects! I found a 4 leaf clover too!! It was probably the luckiest thing ever (ba dum tss) but really we were just walking and passed this grass/clover patch and i just saw it! boom. 4 leaf clover. 

We helped a member tear out their bathroom this week. Well basically just the bathtub. It was this really old rusty bathtub that was extremely awkward and heavy ad we had to carry it down a flight of stairs and out to the backyard. It was intense. And i think i got rust on my pants and white shirt. Oh well. It was good to serve! 

This week has been pretty tough with teaching and finding people. We have had hardly any lessons and the one pesquisador who was gonna come to church didnt so that was unfortunate. But we´re going to keep working hard and fasting and hopefully I have better news next week but this area has been pretty rough. Pray for the people to be accepting.

And we had my first zone Conference! We took like a train for 90 minutes to Porto and met with everyone and it was pretty fun! I had to give the opening prayer so that was nerve racking. And we had our entrevistas with Presidente which was incredible. He is so loving and just an incredible leader and man. Ive only talked to him for 20 minutes in my whole life but i can already say that. Hes definitely called by divine revelation.

This week I looked in the Bible Dictionary at all the names of Christ and I knew there would be too many to count but 1 i found was really interesting. Captain. Christ is our captain. And we are his army. It was so cool! It made me look at him as this ripped powerful captain  with his hair flowing in the wind with all the power in the universe and WE are his army. Pretty sweet stuff. 

Love you guys and miss you all!