I had no idea what I was talking about

Hey everybody!

Thanks for the emails and the pictures! I’m glad to hear things are going well for everybody. Preston and Alexander sound like they’re having normal levels of craziness.

SO

Last week, I had NO IDEA what I was talking about when I said “This was a big week for wife points.” NO IDEA. And I know I’m supposed to stay positive in my emails home – and trust me, this will be used in a positive way – so I’m going to write about it anyway. Keep that in mind.

So last P-Day, we did some shopping and cleaned the apartment. It was a really nice and very necessary chill time. That night, I went to Massamá again for a division with Elder Halling, a zone leader who is on his 2nd to last transfer. We just did contacts, helped some people take a shelf to the dumpster (which was a really weird experience – they didn’t even pay attention to the fact that there were two strange white boys in their house – it was like we didn’t even exist… “Há mais para levar?” “Não – fecha a porta.” “Fica com esta cartão, tá bem?”) We then walked up this massive hill to Massamá Norte and knocked there. There was one prédio that had motion sensors, and when we walked in Maroon 5 started playing and it was like knives to the soul. I really don’t like their stuff. The walls had glitter and the doors were lacquered into mirrors – it was insane. Whatever floats their boat.

Friday, we watched the Testaments with Miguel. He’s awesome. More about him later. Oh, and this was the day that I started feeling really tired and achy.

Saturday came, and I wasn’t feeling good at all. My head was hurting, I was tired, kinda dizzy, achy, etc. I didn’t have a fever – just a deficiency of VITIMINA T (trabalho). We taught Josiane (zho-zee-ahn-ee, she’s Brazilian). We started reading an article from the special Ensign and halfway through she just started asking us about some doubts she was having. This was when all of the achy horribleness all clicked. I felt horrible, but I didn’t care. Why? Because of this amazingly awesome Gospel. Because of our Savior Jesus Christ. Because I know it’s worth it. I testified my heart out to her that the Gospel really changes our perspective and makes the details the world wants to know stand out as being nice to know but not necessary. After the lesson with her, we taught the restoration to a new contact in Reboleira – Eliane (eh-lee-ahn). That was probably the best Restoration lesson I had been a part of. And both of these lessons were accompanied! AND THEN THAT NIGHT. Oh my goodness. A member family that Miguel met at conference invited him and us to dinner in Oeiras. Miguel drove us and WOW their apartment had an AMAZING view. It was directly north of the lighthouse at the mouth of the Rio Tejo about 6 blocks from the beach. We could see the bridge completely, Cristo Rei, Os Navegadores, and The Torre de Belém. So before this dinner, we had a discussion about the Gospel – faith, primarily. We talked about how faith is an anchor (I laughed when I read that in your email, Mom, because that’s exactly what we talked about). We talked about the rudder and the wheel. THEN MIGUEL BUSTED OUT that the captain and the instruments are like the prophet and the scriptures!!! Everybody else at the dinner thought he had already been baptized. Oh – extra pressure tonight because Elder Stott is going away for a division and I’m probably going to be the one inviting Miguel to baptism in the lesson tonight. No pressure, right?

Sunday. Wow. We had six investigators in church. Cleriston (who had just came from work), Miguel, Claudio and a friend of his, Maria José (a knocking contact we made my first night here), and Josiane. Oh my goodness. Incrível!!! You all had better make sure that if you have investigators in church that you are really nice and get to know them!!! Anyway, we ate lunch at a Brazilian family’s house – their son Néfi was hilarious (2 years old, unlimited energy). We had a lesson with Domingas that night, too. Oh, and this is when I felt like I had a cold.

Then Monday… which I don’t really remember. I was on a division with Elder Perry in Queluz/Monte Abraão. We made contacts all day, and walked all over. It’s called Monte Abraão for a very good reason. All I really remember was that we talked to a guy who said an angel with a goatee punched him in the face in his bathroom.

Yesterday, I slept for like 2 hours in the afternoon, and then we went and taught Jojo – Angolan, has no job, and consequently no food, either. So we taught him OLA (orar, ler, assistir a igreja) and gave him a little food to get him through the next couple days. Then I taught English class, which was interesting. I taught numbers and days of the week. Elder Stott had a sweet song by the Aquabats about the days of the week.

Anyway, so today Elder Stott and I are going to go play volleyball – well, he is. I’m going to sleep. Haha.

So in the next package you send, include Sudafed and cortisone (por causa das DANG PULGAS).

I’ve gotta go.

I love you all and I appreciate all your emails sooooo much!!! I wish I could write more and answer all of your questions, and I’ll try to do that …. Next time.

Abraços a todos!

Elder Lobo