Craziness

Exhorting Portugal from the battlements of Palacio de Pena

Palacio de Pena

Service Day

Hey everybody!
I don’t really have too much business to take care of – usually I have a giant list in my planner for p-days, but this time…. Not really.
As for the “Greetings from Portugal”:
True, I wish I could be at the amazing reunion, but wow, being here on a mission is incrível! I hope everybody is doing everything they can to set time aside for the Gospel, because it’s through the Gospel that families are forever and through the Gospel that it’s all worthwhile. It’s an incredible blessing to have in our lives – one that if actually used brings all the blessings it promises. Yeah, I’m missing this awesome family reunion, but I can’t wait for the BIG one after this life! Have tons of fun and stay in touch! Amo todos vocês e espero que ponderarem o grande significado das famílias! Fiquem bem!
This week has been crazy.
Wednesday:
So we went to Palácio da Pena to meet up with the elders of Sacavém, Olivais, and Mafra. Elder Davis, Elder Neve, and Irmã Thomas were there, and it was a pretty awesome time. Palácio da Pena is CRAZY. It's on the top of the hill/mountain in Sintra. On the way up in the bus, I met this Indian family from right by Stoller Middle School (I think the neighborhood is called Oakridge), and they knew the Johnsons, etc. It was crazy. One of the kids was trying to choose between Westview and Sunset and I set him straight. Anyway, they got a picture and were going to email it to Dad (since both parents work for Intel and they can just look you up).
That night, the zone leaders called and said we had to report on the ward's reactivation efforts. So, I caught Bispo for a few minutes in the chapel, and man. It was totally a Captain Moroni - Pahoran moment. We've been struggling to get the help of the ward and we've been starting to have similar thoughts as Moroni did (how can you sit on your thrones when all these recent converts are falling away? etc.) So we had this half hour discussion, and dang, Bispo is incrível. The relief society leadership is nonexistent and nobody listens to Irmão Plantier (elders quorum president), who is just absolutely amazing. Anyway, it really kind of slapped me in the face, but luckily before then I had kind of decided to just accept it and do my best to serve the ward follow the guidelines in ch 9 of PMG (the chapter about finding). Basically, if you're not working with the ward, good luck.
On the way back from that, we ran into a brazilian guy who contacted us about a week or two ago - Ueliton. He's this incredible Brazilian guy who basically asked us, "I have heard such horrible things about you guys, but when I look at you and the other members I know, I just know it's not true. What's the deal with that?" etc. etc. He told us about his religious background, "With all the temptations and saturation of junk in the world, it really seems like Satan is just trying to make us miserable. What do you guys think about that?" "What do you guys think about the TJ's?" (Jehovah's Witnesses) "I really want to learn English." etc. etc. He hasn't been free to meet with us, but he told us he really wants to learn about everything from us - English, the Gospel, etc.
Thursday, we taught Cleriston about scripture study - searching, pondering, applying, etc. I feel so bad for him, though! He is pushing himself so hard and when he comes to the lessons with us, he has just gotten off of work, so he's dead tired. During this lesson, I was talking to him, and he fell asleep midsentence. He hates his job. He works in a pastel factory in Mercês at night and doesn't get paid nearly enough and gets treated like dirt. But he is so happy nonetheless. He really has his priorities straight and is so incredibly humble.
Saturday was a "service project" in Oeiras. 22 missionaries from the Oeiras and Sintra zones were volunteered to help in the American Community Independence Day Picnic. Basically, we moved tables for 20 minutes. It created some pretty cool opportunities for some missionaries - the guys at the voter registration booth talked to Elder Gardner for about an hour, etc. It was pretty cool. We all sang the Star Spangled Banner.
Sunday, church was really good. I loved it. Roseane is getting some nitpicking from people, but at least Lucélia and Iaci support and the missionaries support her. It's tough to be a member of this church, everybody, just in case you haven't already found that out. But yeah, it was the fifth sunday, so we had the combined meeting (thank goodness)and bispo gave a great lesson about our four responsibilities: family, work, calling, ourselves. I realized that I don't set aside time for myself. I just take what I can get. Because of that, I work my nose into the ground and therefore can't see where I'm going. So I decided to establish 15 minutes a night to write in my journal, even if I don't think I can do it.
But I realized that the Lord's plan and way for us is incredible. He sets up everything we need for us to stay close to Him. The temple, for instance, seems like the place where we get the time for ourselves. I miss the temple so so so so much.
But yeah, it's like city planning. You can't have a green city if you don't set aside space that won't get overrun.
That night, we had a noite familiar (during the Europe Cup final, no less) and we had a turnout of about 6 people. It was really good though. We had a great discussion about Christlike Attributes (Chapter 6!) and good food and great mingling. Mingle. Great word.
Monday, we had district meeting, and then we started a division. I was with Elder Hibler, and walking back from the district meeting, we realized all four of us were from OREGON. WITH OUR POWERS COMBINED, WE ARE ELDER OREGON! SALEM! BEAVERCREEK! HERMISTON! PORTLAND!
We had lunch with this crazy old Italian couple afterwards, and it was sooo good. It was a cold salad type deal. The old guy kept pretending to be asleep and then kept pinching Elder Coombs. It was HILARIOUS. Then I got this phone call from this weirdo number and it was MIGUEL.
He said he wanted to let me know he was coming back to church this next Sunday so I wouldn't be all surprised. He went to the Oeiras ward last week. I hadn't talked to him a few weeks ago when we ran into him in the street - he didn't really want to talk to us at all. But yeah, he explained how he's the kind of person that has to really think things out and study it out and be committed to what he does. I explained to him that I know exactly what he means. But yeah, Gilberto and Carlos have been talking to him in the past few weeks. Paciência.
We had an awesome lesson with Vanda, and investigator from my first transfer. She teaches economics and sociology for the college-prep year students. She asked incredible questions and really wants to read and pray. SHE WANTS TO PRAY ABOUT WHAT SHE'S LEARNING. Incredible.
Yesterday, we had dinner in Massamá, and we confirmed (yet again) that the Queluz and Amadora wards ARE combining on July 13th. The zone leaders didn't believe me. But yeah. So now our zone leaders are going to be going to Cacém, which belongs to the Oeiras zone. How can our zone leaders be in a different zone? confusão!
We played basketball today for P-day. Basketball on p-days is ok when you have a crazy awesome few.

GOTTA GO LVOE YOU ALL

ELDER LOBO