2015.10.19- Just be quiet, and listen.

This week I had a really good experience with just being quiet, and listening to an investigator talk. Somewhere, Elder Holland said, "If we stay quiet, and listen, the investigator will always highlihgt a gospel truth." I know I need to be quiet and listen more, and let the investigators do the talking.

 

Friends and Family, your letters filled me with joy and laughs this week :) I happy to know that every one is safe and happy, where ever they may be in the world :)

 

This week was... intersting. I feel like a lot happened, anf yet nothing at all.

 

Crazy Catholic thing of the week. Monday night last, we hear this chanting or singing coming from the street. This was during our daily planning at the end of the day. So we go look out our window, and there is just people walking through the streets. Occaisionally, we saw some pastor or priest with their robes and stuff leading the people in some type of prayer (Ave Maria, or Pai Nosso). Then towards the end of this procession, thier is a statue of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, in like a weird glass case, in the bed of a pick-up. After talking to people the next, they told us that basically the statue was coming through town. It was soo weird. I got some vídeo of it, but it is too big to send :( Oh well, nonetheless, it was a cool culutre part of Portugal that I got to witness. :)

 

Tuesday night we passed one of our investugators, Gonçalo. He is this quiet dude, in his 30s or 40s, lives alone, and just works. He is really nice, and likes talking to us. We just arent sure how intersted he is. He came to church once, probably bécuase he was curious. So right now we are trying to figure out what to do with him.

 

Wednesday we had District Meeting. Elder Platts is now our District Leader due to transfer. he is only a transfer older than me :) So basically the same age :) And his comp is a transfer younger than me :) So there is like 3 young bucks, and our old friend Elder Storrer in this district. Haha it is a blast :)

 

Thursday is my experience of being quiet and listening :) We were knocking an apartment building and this one woman opens the door and we startnig talking with her. We jumped in with the restoration, joseph Smith, etc, etc, but during it all I had this thought that she had something to say. So I changed it up, and asked an inspired question, and she told us of some personal experiences that totally cahnged the dynamic of the conversation. It was so cool! We went back the next day and had a sit-down lesson with her, and she seems to have lots of potential. She loves to speak her mind, She is very honest, which is a refresher becuase most people here are too afraid to offend us, so they be quiet and just say, "oh ya, everything is true" etc and so on and so forth. Honesty, it goes a long way! :)

 

Saturday and Sunday, rained off and on! It poured sunday night, so much that we had to find some shelter and wait it out a little bit :) I gave a talk in Church on Sunday. Bringing my talk count on the mission to 5! I love giving talks :) Even when it is late notice. We were warned Friday night about our talks, so basically I only had Saturday to prepare :) But it went well, and Portuguese is coming a long great! :) Still stumbling on some words that just leave my mouth weird :) I based my talk off an Elder Holland talk, "The Tongue of Angels" from April 2007 General Conf. That is a cool talk, and makes one re-look at life and how he/she can improve :)

 

Scripture of the week: Helaman 10:4-5, "4 Blessed art thou, [Elder Yoder], for those things which thou hast done; for I have beheld how thou hast with unwearyingness declared the word, which I have given unto thee, unto this people. And thou hast not feared them, and hast not sought thine own life, but hast sought my will, and to keep my commandments. 5 And now, because thou hast done this with such unwearyingness, behold, I will bless thee forever; and I will make thee mighty in word and in deed, in faith and in works; yea, even that all things shall be done unto thee according to thy word, for thou shalt not ask that which is contrary to my will."
I like to personalize scriptures, and this one is perfect! I know i can accomplish miracles here if I apply these principles this week, "unwearyingly declaring the word" and "fearing no man" and "forgetting my self, and going to work!"

Love you all. I am enjoying my time in Portugal and in Castelo Branco. Keep Reading the Scriptures and saying your prayers. Heavenly Father wants to hear from you! No matter what.