6 Month Day!!

"You gonna get ate." Elder Lobo being eyeballed by a tiger at the Zoo.
"Elder Mac"


Elders at the Zoo watching a dolphin show.
Hey hey, everybody!

Thanks for all the emails and news about the reunion. I really loved going sailing with Golden and everybody. I'm glad everybody could come and I hope everybody is continuing to have a nice, relaxing time.

Quick news: With the combined wards, President is taking out one of the Amadora duplas. I would LOVE to stay a fourth, but with God, anything is possible.

Last P-Day, we went to the Zoo in Lisbon, and it was SOO cool. It was €15, but incredible. They had free shows all day. For example, when we got there, they had a really cool bird show, with macaws flying around everywhere and toucans chilling on things. They have some really cool birds at that zoo. We saw everything. I loved the elephants – they were definitely the most entertaining. They also had a little tram... skyway system called a teleférico: basically a cable car that fits 2-3 people that takes you over the entire zoo (it’s all outdoors except for the reptiles). It was really cool and at the end of our day there, we finished off with an awesome dolphin show, two walrusses went around giving everybody beijinhos. It was hilarious, and I got great pictures of everybody else... but not of myself - pois. So it goes.

Alma 29 has reached my top 5 of favorite scriptures, among which are 3 Ne 17, 2 Ne 4, 1 Cor 13, and 2 Ne 2. That’s a pretty solid Top 5.

Anyway, moving on with the week.

Thursday. In the morning, we were going to have a lesson with Cleriston, who was just getting off work. We went to the church, and began waiting. I got on the piano, as I often do, and we called him at noon, as we always do, but his phone was off. We knew he remembered our compromisso, so we decided to wait a little longer (sometimes it has taken him a little while to get home from work, clean up, and come to the church). So in this time, I decided to learn Master the Tempest is Raging, the legendary pirate hymn of the Church. So, I figured out how to play it. My favorite key to play in is G# Major, if anybody is interested in knowing. It’s fun, and it’s amazing how even 15-20 minutes of practice 1-3 times per week makes such a difference, but only when I’m really determined and focused to use that time well.

That day we had a lesson with Dá and Jerson, two caboverdian guys in their early twenties. Dá studies with the elders in Cabo Verde, and Jerson is really curious and interested. They’re both great guys. Dá is unemployed right now.

I taught English class again, and we talked about prepositional verbs. There are SO MANY.

Friday.

Had studies, then went to start planning a little past 11:00.

Phone rings.

Elder Colby finds the phone and answers.

He hands the phone to me.

It’s President.

I immediately thought I was getting ET’d (emergency transferred). I had no idea what to expect. I was nervous and excited (two very opposite emotions) at the same time, and President started talking.

“Olá, Presidente. Daqui fala o Élder Lobo.”
“Hi, Elder Lobo, how are you doing?”
“Great, President, thanks.”
“I just read your letter for this week and I understand that you’ve been having difficulty getting Elder Colby to participate in planning.”
“Ok.”
“Effective immediately, we’re making you co-senior with Elder Colby, OK?”
“...Ok. Thanks, Eld...er... President.”
“Take care, we love you.”
Etc.

Back up a couple weeks.

So for the first two or three weeks of this transfer (it all blurs together), I was having to do everything. It’s not like I wasn’t letting him do anything. I would tell him we needed to do something, and nothing would happen. So I pick it up and do it. It made me realize how dependent I had been on my trainer and greenie-breaker. Then, last week, I put it all on him, and he was having to take initiative and make decisions, because taking them upon myself to avoid bad consequences would rob him of fulfilling his calling.

He said during comp inventory on Friday that that week had shown to him a lot of things he could improve on.

So fast forward back to the present. Now we’re working together, helping each other where we have difficulties, and in our weaknesses making each other stronger. It’s a lot better and I can easily tell he’s a lot happier, and so am I.

Saturday, I decided we needed to do way better on our contacts, and that we could focus an afternoon solely on doing contacts, not contacting people while we pass potencial investigators or whoever.

I had been thinking a lot that morning during studies about families, and how they are just incredible. God entrusts us to our parents. Eventually, He entrusts more of His children to us. Etc. What more is that after all is said and done, learning values in the family is much more valuable than a diploma from the School of Hard Knocks.

So, I decided that if I was going to feel like talking to anybody, I would want to talk about what I was thinking about, because I really was curious about what other people thought. I went around, genuinely asking what people thought about their families, and every single person who stopped and talked to us really TALKED with us. It was awesome.

That night, we had a festa (“FESH-tuh”). It was something to do with Quadrilha, some kind of Brazilian dance or something. Either way, we brought Dá and Domingas, and Elder Colby and I worked the Churrasco while they had fun with the members. It was awesome.

Sunday. The first Sunday of the Amadora-Queluz ward. It pretty much doubled the size of our ward. Miguel was there, but I didn’t have a chance to talk to him – Gilberto, Bispo, Irmão Plantier, and everybody was talking to him and it looked like he was very welcomed.

That afternoon, Gilberto dropped off lunch to us, and when I went out into the hallway to meet him at the elevator, I saw him and I nearly just broke down.

I don’t know how many people get the opportunity to watch somebody they care a ton about doubt their testimony without being able to do nearly enough to help them. Then, watching other people help them back. I feel eternally indebted to Gilberto for helping Miguel and being the friend for him that I couldn’t be.

That night, we went looking for a reference from a member without a name, number, or house number. While doing so, we taught the husband of a “one-lesson wonder” (somebody you teach while knocking and then can never get a hold of again). He had incredible questions and. Well, it was a great discussion.

Monday, we had interviews. They were good, and I learned a lot. Here’s a question we have to ask (to ourselves and others): “Are you serious about coming unto Christ?”

That night, we went in search of a few people, one of which was Ueliton. We haven’t been able to get in contact with him at all for over a week, and we were starting to get worried for him. He had been having some difficulties with a lot of different things, one of which being the girlfriend he lived with. So we left a Book of Mormon and a note for him.

When we passed by on Tuesday, we talked to his girlfriend, and more or less, Ueliton is gone. My guess is that he would not want to be anywhere near Amadora. Either way, right now he’s at least probably one commandment closer to being ready to be baptized. I really hope and pray for him.

Tuesday, we had district meeting about creative finding. It was funny, because the zone leaders went through 1 Ne 3 exactly like I did with desfubequizar. It hit me pretty hard. I’m getting the hint that I have to start small, not expecting grand ideas right off the bat. It starts small. (Relativity started with the guess that light travels the same speed in all reference frames.)

Today we’re going to Lisbon to do some tourism homework and get me a 6-month tie. I’m not burning one. I love all my ties like my theys be my childrens.

I love you all and thank you so much for all of your support and EVERYTHING
AMO TODOS VOCES
ELDER LOBO