Hey everybody!
So I can't believe I said last week that not much really happened. Yeah, I pretty much got shown what happens when a lot of things do happen.
So my memory card got a little messed up – I don't know how, but luckily I have my pictures backed up on a flash drive. I'm probably going to send it soon.
Last week, we reorganized our apartment for P-Day and it is superfiche now.
Thursday, we taught a lesson to a less-active recent convert. We had been doing studies all morning trying to figure out what in the world to teach and didn't really know what would be good for her. So after all our studies, we just went “gah just flip through the index... what did you get?” “Tribulation.” “What did you get?” “The Savior.” “Whoa.” So we taught about overcoming trials with the help of our Savior.
Then Friday was the first part of Visa renewal. We all met up in the office (most of our MTC group) and then went to this financial place to get our Numeros de Contribuinte. Lines. Then we drove to the consulate to get our criminal records. Lines. Oh, and I left my passport back at the other place or they didn't give it back. So, Elder Prince (an executive secretary) and I drove back rather frantically to get it. We walked around Lisbon while waiting to go to our spot in the line. I talked to Elder Davis (I'm pretty sure he still hates me), and then when it was getting close to our time to come back, I mentioned that we should head back. It was like a repeat of the MTC. So, Elder Flint, Elder Neve, and I went back to the consulate, and Elders Willardson, Golden, Kearl, Davis, etc. refused. Walking back, we saw Elder Prince sprinting after us. We had gotten there just in time, but the others were a long ways away. So, they were like “TAKE AS LONG AS YOU CAN OR WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE HERE ANOTHER 3 HOURS.” So, I stalled with this really nice consulate lady. “Lobo... that's a Portuguese name, isn't it?” “Yeah, actually, it is... [insert ENTIRE FAMILY HISTORY HERE].” etc. etc. Right when I had finished paying, they all got back. Etc.
Saturday. We had lunch with the Elders Quorum President and his wife (this old retired couple). He had just gotten back from a 90-day stay in Utah, and kept telling us how the church was in the States. Great, yes, the people here really want to learn from the church in the US -- but they won't ever let these four missionaries explain what it's like! Sigh. We're just missionaries... what do we know about the church?
Then Elder Blackburn and I went to Alfragide to find a member trying to get back to church. We found him, and taught him and his neighbor. It turns out he's from TIMOR. (I did East Timor for MUN sophomore year) So the only country I need to find somebody from is Madagascar. (I've met plenty of Romanians – here, all the gypsies are Romanians.
Sunday: Oh Sunday. It was amazing. We had the most members in church (no investigators) for a long time and great lessons. I found a great common theme between all the talks etc. that is that the Lords way is through slow, careful cultivation/construction/contribution/unification. Why is it easier to do bad than to do good? Because bad is quick deconstruction but good takes a long time to build. Then, we had another lesson with Ana with her friend from Sacavém. She finally opened up and said that she hadn't yet received an answer to her prayers about the BOM. So we helped her with that.
Then we had dinner. That night, we taught an AMAZING “less-active” member (who really is stronger than most of the members – she's an RM but got really offended with the members in the ward after her bishoprick boyfriend cheated on her). More on her later.
Monday. So Monday afternoon, we went to this ghetto part of Buraca to contact a reference. It started pouring, so we went inside this little building where we thought he lived. We went up the old, marble stairs (worn down on the edges) and talked to Paulo, a little 14-year-old caboverdian kid. Elder Baldwin went back down the stairs and I started to follow. He got down all 12 steps, and then I got to the second one and COMPLETELY SLIPPED. I remember thinking “ah crap” and hearing my hip hit the corner of the stair (like dropping one big rock onto another). Elder Baldwin said my feet caught on every step on the way down. I got down the 10 steps and just laid there. “oooh my goodness.....” “Respira! Respira!” (breathe breathe!) I didn't open my eyes. “Deixem-me descansar!” (Let me rest!) Elder Baldwin talked to Paulo for a few minutes while he made sure I was OK (the truth is that he wasn't sure whether I was OK or not). It seemed like 20 seconds to me. Then he walked me out and sat me down on a little patio. My hearing got muffled, my arms were feeling funny, I had a hard time speaking, my eyes were dialated unevenly, etc. “Do you want to go home and lay down or go inside?” Apparently I started to just slump over and fall off the patio, but Elder Baldwin (mind you he has back problems) caught me. I got myself up with his help and sat down (I don't remember any of that happening) and told him “I should probably lay down.” So he got me up the stairs and I sat down in Paulo's room watching a soccer game with him. He made me the best chá I have ever had. Elder Baldwin called President Terry and told him what was going on. I started feeling better. It didn't feel like I hit my head or neck or anything. It felt like I just fell down 10 stairs. So we gimped over to the Damaia train station and caught a taxi to the Hospital da Luz. My left leg was gimpy and my left elbow was hurting pretty badly. I didn't hit my head though. How do you fall down 10 stairs and not hit your head??? AT ALL? No bumps, no nothing. So we got there and I saw a Portuguese emergency room – we had a two hour wait, so I sat down and started reading in Alma 14, of all chapters to read while in an emergency room. He called Dr. Taylor and said I should just go home and ice my hip and elbow and take ibeuprofen.
Tuesday: I went to physical therapy with Elder Baldwin in Parque in Lisbon. Then we came home and I slept like a rock.
With Ibeuprofen I'm not a gimp.
AND WE HAD CONSELHO DE ALA WHICH I REALLY NEED TO TALK ABOUT
BE GLAD YOUR WARD IS NOT A FUBECA WARD
AMOR
ELDER LOBO [No photos received this week.]
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