Olá a todos!
Wow. Portugal.
(The keyboards here are weird, and my English is horrible now, so please forgive me)
So we left last week early in the morning, flew to NY JFK, then to Paris. The Paris airport was so weird and HUGE. We had to take a train to get from one part to the other. It did look like a giant IKEA, though. The furniture was sweet and everything. It was a nice flight and I woke up just as we were passing over Ireland. The sun came up and it was AMAZING, but I forgot to bring my camera from the apartment, so itºs going to have to wait til next week.
We flew from France to Portugal, and I sat next to a girl of the same age who was born in France, lived in Recife Brazil, and then moved to Portugal just recently. We had an hour or so conversation in Portuguese about the church and the restoration. It was cool. It really goes to show that missionaries canºt teach lessons - they have to teach people. Anyway. We got to Portugal, all of our bags arrived, we met the Pres. Terry and his wife, and theyºre really great. We stayed in the mission home one night, I was exhausted, and then the next morning we were assigned our trainers and areas. My trainer is Elder Stott from Lancaster, CA - heºs served in Cacém and the Açores. Our area is Amadora. We live in Reboleira. Itºs just west of Lisbon, and itºs so beautiful. Itºs kind of a poorer area, so I was really really surprised when we went and visited Alfragide - REALLY nice predios and really nice people.
Hereºs our address:
Rua Herculano de Carvalho Nº7 3D
2720-270 Reboleira, Amadora
PORTUGAL
I donºt even know where to start.
Missionary work is amazing. Thereºs already a guy in our area named Cleriston who is marked for baptism. Itºs amazing how the Lord prepares some people to be open and not hardhearted. So many people here are non-practicing catholic, which makes little sense to me, but I wonºt worry about that. There are a lot of TJºs here, too (Jehovahºs Witnesses) and they can cause a lot of trouble. Amadora has a lot of African people, and theyºre so awesome. Weºre teaching a family from Angola, and theyºre just amazing. Weºre teaching another family from Brasil. We were knowcking doors and this teenager answered and let us in. We were teaching the restoration and then his parents got home, so we taught them too. So many people realize that there are so many churches and that far too many people are teaching their opinions as doctrine. Some people concede that they donºt like that, and others just believe that any church that points you in the direction of God is ok.
Que mais...
We have another dupla (companionship) living with us, and theyºre looking for a place to stay. Theyºre awesome.
But yeah.
Culture shock.
Everything is so different, and every time I see something in English or see a McDonalds (which are way better here than in the US), itºs like in the Truman show when the stage light falls from the sky. Itºs crazy. When we went to Alfragide, we went and got pasteis (which means any kind of pastry) and the pasteleria was SO NICE. It was like walking into a starbucks back home. It felt really weird.
But yeah. Understanding people is tough, and I can speak ok sometimes, but itºs difficult. Iºm glad I can perceive some of it though - it makes the work so much more pleasant when you can actually do it.
Portugal is awesome. Itºs a great country. The people are a little more melancholy than Brazilians, but there are plenty of Brazilians to be nice. On Saturday, we ate dinner at a memberºs apartment (everybody lives in apartments, the buildings are called predios) but the husband wasnºt home yet. So, we ate at a tiny table in the hall. It was so nice. Theyºre amazing.
Church was good on Sunday. The members are strong here, even if they are few. We had an investigator named Miguel at church with us, and it was awesome. People were welcoming, he asked good questions, he was attentive, he wanted to learn more - there are plenty of people really seeking the truth.
We teach English classes on Tuesday and Thursday Nights. Thatºs really interesting. Language is an incredible thing. In Portuguese, there really isnºt a way to say "I wonder..." so I have a hard time saying what I want to say.
Itºs amazing how little we know. Iºm only starting to realize now how absolutely little I know about the Gospel and the scriptures (in the grand scheme of things). When we think we understand everything and we think we know all things is when we are in trouble. We really are like sheep. We hear the Shepherdºs voice and follow Him, but in reality we really have no idea what Heºs saying. Thatºs why the Gospel is not about knowledge or works alone, but about being sanctified by the Spirit and being made perfect through Christ. We walk by faith, not by sight.
I~m going to try to be more organized next time - I have been really overwhelmed with how different things are that my brain really doesnºt know what to do with itself. Studies are great and the language is beautiful.
The church is true. As much as we may look at this doctrine or that doctrine and wonder about the details of this or that, the real thing of consequence is how it makes us fit into the eternal perspective, and if we think we can do it ourselves, weºre wrong. The Book of Mormon is true - itºs powerful. The Spirit really does testify to people when they have faith and real intent.
In other news,
DO YOUR PART TO HELP THE MISSIONARIES! THEY NEED IT!
Amor a todos!
Elder Lobo
1 comments:
I love how the drunk guy's car is on another planet....
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