Haha, when I opened my email this morning, I saw like 3 or 4 other Elders that had something like, "Im Sick, or This Week I was Sick." Haha, so I figured I wouldnt write and say I am not sick. But instead of that, I think I was given the weirdest week ever :) It was an adventure! :) This week is going to be told in stories in stead of a chronological order of events. It'll be easier that way :)
First Story: Our Apartment. Oh heavens... So on tuesday Casal da Silva (a senior couple) showed up to do an inspection. Apparently, our house was soo bad (it wasnt!) that they said they would return the following monday (today) to help us clean. Fast forward to last night. Sunday night we come home at like 8pm to grab a quick snack before the final session of conference. Our kitchen had a bunch of water on the floor. We first thought it was due to the rain (rainy season is starting here in Portugal!). But after examination, it wasnt that. Then our neighbor told us to go talk to our land lady. We passed by, but she wasnt home (haha, sounds like she is a normal investigator here in Portugal, but she isnt! No one is EVER home). We go back to the house for more examination and we found that one of the pipes that was connected to the water heater broke. So we called the Ransoms (the head senior couple), and they told us to talk to the land lady. So we tried again. Luckily she was home! We showed what was wrong, and she told us that there was TONS of water in the apartment building. We are on the first floor, and it got down to the bottom floor. It got into the elevator she said. Now, the elevator doesnt work :/ Oops. I think our neighbors ended up turning off our water. It was soo late at night, and we still had the final session of conference, that we decided no to do anything. What we had to do was just buy a part a replace the pipe. So we didnt have water in our house (well it was like all over the floor) last night and this morning. Today, Casal da Silva showed up with some member and he switched out the part and now it is all good :) So they said they would come back later this week for the inspection. Haha, that was like my past 24 hours :)
Second Story: The Zone Conference. We had a zone conference and interviews planned for this weekend. The start time for the conference got moved so many times, and President Amorim wanted us them early as well, and after everything we got their late. Normally we go to Coimbra with the Elders of Covilhã, but they did a division in Coimbra the night before the conf and couldnt get us. So we had plans to leave Castelo Branco at like 6 for coimbra and get there at like 830 and sleep the night there, but we read a bus Schedule wrong and we couldnt get there. We tried everything to get to coimbra that night. We even asked some members who said that they were going to coimbra. But it would've been way late. After everything, we got to the conference like 20 minutes late, but President knew so it was all good. The Zone Conferecne was good. President Amorim rolled out some new rules, but nothing too extreme, and in some areas it is pretty relaxed. Interviews were also planned for after the conference, but those got moved around too like crazy. All in all, We spent like 36 hours outsider of Castelo Branco. A part of our weekend took us up to Porto and the mission home! :) We got to eat dinner with President Amorim and his wife. That was pretty cool just to have some one on one time.
Third Story: The interviews. The interviews were finally planned for Saturday, though I got to talk with President a little bit on Friday. But we had to wait for the Elders from Covilhã because they were going to take us home. The final plan for them was to have their interviews at 1230, but President got behind (not a huge surprise there), and so we didnt leave Coimbra til like 3. But we got home just in time to catch Conference! :)
Fourth Story: Conference! I LOVED Conference! I got to see the Sat Morn, Sunday Morn, and Sunday Afternoon Sessions live! :) We probably could've watched the Sat Afternoon Session live too, but oh well. I love the three new apostles! The last one announced, Elder Renlund, gave a really cool talk earlier this year. It was the one about Nelson Mandela, and that a Saint is Sinner that keeps on trying! :) I watched all talks in Portuguese, without subtitles! Haha, the Portuguese was also Brazilian, but I understood basically everything! It didnt hit me as it would've if it were in English, so I downloaded all of conference and I'll listen and re-listen through out the week! :)
Fifth Story: Investigators. João (João in Enlgish is John, just so ya know ;)) is doing good, with the craziness of Zone Conf and Interviews we missed our appointment with him, but he understood. He came to the Priesthood Session though! He said he liked it :) Then in between Conferences we found a new investigator Abraão! (Who ever can tell me that English name will win... Well nothing, but still, try and figure it out. Just sound it out slowly;)) He is actually a former investigator that was taught earlier this year. He is from Cabo Verde. And he is 18 years old. He is soo cool, and responds well to the questions. The only thing that has been holding him back from baptism is his family. So we will work with him, and help him see the great example he could be for his family.
All in all, crazy week! :) I cant remembre which speaker, but it was in the last session, and he gave a cool "parable" about the dirty kid trying to get into his grandma's house. A house that was very, very clean. After much begging the kid asks, "What do I have to do come in?" grandma replies, "You have to be clean." he made the comparison with the Celestial Kingdom. We have to be clean to enter into the Celestial Kingdom. Here is where I am going to take some liberty with the parable. Unfortunately, we cannot, by ourselves, clean our selves off. We are too imperfect to do it. This is why we need an Elder Brother to come and help us become clean. I know we can be clean through the Atoning Sacrifice of our Elder Brother Jesus Christ!
"How great, how glorious, how complete
Redemption’s grand design,
Where justice, love, and mercy meet
In harmony divine!"
Love you all! Have a great week. Study General Conference! And then Re-Study it! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment