Apr. 18, 2016 - The Lord Will Provide

So we start this week with close to no money between the 4 of us in our house. So we say alright this week for groceries we'll just tough it out and buy the necessities like rice and cheese and bread and eggs and it comes out to like 15 euros in total. Then out of no where we get 4 member meals in like 3 days! First time that's ever happened, ever! So we actually eating more than we ever have with our cupboards empty! The best part is that people start sending us home with leftovers! Miracles really do happen! (Don't worry mom, I'm not going hungry;)

Anyway this week was pretty sweet. I went on a division to my first area, Braga! It was pretty cool and passed some recent converts over there! Really weird with the reversal of roles now but we really helped that area get back on their feet.

So we finally marked Pedro for Baptism. He is Lurdes and Vitor's 14 year old son who is really smart and already has received an answer about the Book of Mormon and everything. May 7th is his date for baptism and we're pumped!

We taught a lesson this week to a teenager who is having some problems with high school and friends and parents and actually everything. It was centered around this scripture, Alma 7:11-12

11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.

I hadn't felt such a comforting feeling in quite some time. We testified about the infinite love of Christ and how we ALWAYS have someone going through this life right by our side. I know that Christ is our eternal Friend and will never leave us. He knows what we've been through because he already has. I love Him and I love this work! 

Pics. Just to prove that I was in Braga haha you can't really see me

And this is Elder Jensen and his amazing art he gave me after our division!

--
Elder Powell

Apr. 4, 2016 - We Get Credit for Trying

Happy Conference weekend everyone!

Lets just start off with the best closing pitcher in history, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland! His talk really struck me. "Please remember tomorrow, and all the days after that, that the Lord blesses those who want to improve, who accept the need for commandments and try to keep them, who cherish Christlike virtues and strive to the best of their ability to acquire them. If you stumble in that pursuit, so does everyone; the Savior is there to help you keep going." This quote was so comforting and I love this principle of the atonement of our savior Jesus Christ! We just have to keep trying everyday and we will be blessed! So keep trying!!

This week was too good! I said goodbye to my comp Elder Da Veiga and watched his plane leave. Literally. The airport is in our area and there is this little spot about 50 feet from the runway where we can go watch the planes take off and land. It's awesome! So we went and watched him take off haha we literally saw him in the window! too funny! Anyway I got a new comp Elder Sutton who is hilarious! We've become pretty good friends over the months but now we're comps! 

Vítor is all ready for baptism on the 9th and he loved conference! I was thanking all the apostles for all their talks about families and fatherhood. Vítor really received some personal revelation this weekend. 

One more quote from our Prophet just because I love him. "If we choose Christ, we will have made the correct Choice."

A Few More Pictures from March 28, 2016

Mar. 28, 2016 - Best Easter Ever! :D

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you all felt the spirit and the hand of the Lord in you life this weekend.

My Easter was great! Our incredible Irmã Lurdes started her new life clean and pure! She was baptized this Sunday and it was a rally cool way to celebrate the Resurrection and Atonement of Christ! 

We had a mission goal of 35 baptisms for the month of march and we got it!! With exactly 35! It was so awesome to be apart of that and the mission is really getting fired up! 

My comp's 2 years ended today. So I'm here in a tripla just waiting for transfers that will come tomorrow. But it was a cool way for him to go out with a baptism on his last day!

I just wanted to bear my testimony that I know Christ lives! He rose on the 3rd day. He suffered for me and for you. Only through his atoning sacrifice can we become clean again. This church is true and we need to share this message with the world!

This is Lurdes with Vítor who is getting baptized on the 9th! :D 

And us on a rock... 

Mar. 21, 2016 - I cant describe this week in words....

So this week was quite strange. So we started planning that wedding and Mission Pres said he was going to help pay for it and everything. So we go to City Hall to get an estimate so we can tell Prez and get the ward council moving. We then go to Lurdes and Vitor's house and she tells us he left her.... he went to his parents house and they arent getting married. Really sad and confusing. But she still had a really big desire to get baptized. 

Sunday night we go visit her and Vitor is back and everything is back to normal! So we thought. Turns out they're still good friends but not living together but he hangs out at her house a lot now and they both want to get baptized separately. So we taught the law of chastity and they both agreed to it because they arent living together. So yeah. They're still getting baptized but not married. Hahah really weird.

Also our other marked was supposed to get baptized yesterday but fell into temptation with her boyfriend on Friday! The day before her baptismal interview Satan got a hold of her! So we're doubling our efforts to keep her head up and ready for Sunday!

So I guess I learned to never let your guard down! I admit we kinda thought everything was all god and got a little lazy with our planning and acompanhamento. So NEVER LET YOUR GUARD DOWN! Satan is waiting for that moment when you think you're all good. You have to fight everyday! And with The Lord on your side you'll win every time, but you have to let Him help you.

Have a great week. Next week you should see lots of white:D

Mar. 14, 2016 - Miracles Really Do Happen!

Yes. I saw probably the biggest miracle of my mission this week.

We found Lurdes last week just by stopping her in the road. She said she already knows about our church and has been before but it was never the right time. But now she feels likes we came into her life on the perfect day! So we leave a BOM with her and the next day we go to ther house and she's already read like all of 1 Nephi! WHOA! Then we goes on to tell us that her BF picked it up and is reading it too! And they both keep saying how true it is and how this time in their lives is exactly what they need. So we mark them both for baptism for the 27th of March. They come to chuch and loved it! Then we tell them that they need to get married before baptism. They totally agree and say that they have been thinking about it for a long time but never felt like they had a right place in which they should be married. But now they feel like this is the perfect place in this Church! DOUBLE WHOA!! 

So yeah we are going to be wedding planners these next 2 weeks. :D

But seriously this couple is ELECT! We started our 40 day fast of disobedience and the next 2 days we find this couple! Obedience brings blessings. Exact Obedience brings Miracles!! 

I think I have reached the point where I can say Ping Pong is an addiction. We took off our door to our closet and made a ping pong table! #Pdayeve

Love ya'll!

Mar. 7, 2016 - A Vida é Como um Jogo de Xadrez

Hey everybody! This week was a blast!

We had our mission counsel and we got super prepared for this month and our goal as a mission to baptize 35!! It was awesome! Presidente was strangely all lovey dovey with us and didn't even yell once! That was my miracle for the day! :D

Then we had to run home and prepare for our zone meeting the next day. It was awesome to get to know all my zone members and welcome all the greenies and try to pump everyone to help for the mission goal! 

Miracle of the week! We contacted this lady who was definitely put there by the hand of God. She explained how she has 2 cousins who are RMs and one who is serving in Spain right now. She already read most of the Book of Mormon and my mind was blown! Super cool! We're preparing her for baptism for the end of this month!:D

So my subject line is translated as Life is like a game of chess! We have been playing chess a ton this week and we have been applying the concepts of chess into basically everything in life! And one of the biggest one is you have to think at least 1 step ahead and most of the time 2 steps ahead. And that's basically how we have to go though life. We have to have that eternal perspective with everything we do. We have to realize that our decisions now effect, sometimes, the rest of our lives. We have to think about what we want to happen in the future, then act now according to that goal. So make sure your decisions are putting you on a path you want to be in 2 steps. And that path is the path that leads to our Heavenly Home with our Heavenly parents. 

Love you all and have a great week!