Monday, February 27, 2017

Carnival and Transfers

Olá,

This week has been wild! Carnival is going on in Sines over the past few days and will end tomorrow night. I have never seen anything like it. There are about 10 venders that set up in the park and tons of people walking around in crazy costumes. There was a huge parade through downtown. I bought 3 Faturas and 3 Pão com Churiços and they were super good!

We were car-less and Sines-bound again this week so we worked in Sines except for one bus trip to Santo André.

We followed up with Miguel and his Book of Mormon reading in Moroni, and invited him to read Alma 32. When we first talked with him at Repsol he was not interested in hearing any more of our message about the Restored Gospel. But as we have meet with him his desires have changed and he is interested in learning more. He told us that he is done with the "Repsol Life" (hanging out drinking and smoking in front of the gas station). It has been cool to see this change beginning to take place in him.

We had not a very firm appointment on the other side if town but decided to go anyways, it fell through but then we went to the apartment complex next to it as a man was walking out. He was moving in and had about 15 big bags of things to bring into his house. We were able to be a big help to him. He didnt have time to talk but we got his number will hopefully teach him soon.

We taught Angelina the Restoration and I actually understood pretty much the entire thing and was able to teach and express myself. It is so nice being able to do that now.

Friday night we got back to the house and did a few practices then I sat down in a chair at about 9:35 and woke up at 1:00! haha It was crazy!

This transfer has flown by, I can´t believe I have been in Santo André for 3 transfers. Tomorrow morning I will get on a bus and head to Almada with my new companion Elder Cottrell who is also from Georgia.

Até Proximo,

Elder Anderson








Monday, February 20, 2017

Divisions and Elder Suarez Conference

Olá,

This week has been wild with a ton of traveling. Wednesday we went to Setúbal for Splits with the Zone Leaders. I went with Elder Taylor and learned a ton from him especially about talking with everyone and being more casual and loving as I do so. The day before there was a Sulfur explosion at one of the factories, While we were there the fumes were blowing in a different direction, so we were fine, but the next day they blew over to the City and the Setúbal missionaries had to stay inside all day.

The new power steering lasted a few days, we brought the car back to Opel this morning for it to get fixed again. We will likely receive a new car soon but we will see. Elder Luis definitely got a good workout driving the Power steering-less car for a few days.

We did a lot of searching for less actives in Santo André and ended up running into 2 members who are not on the branch Roster. One of them was baptized in Goiania where my brother Scott is Serving.

Friday we drive down to Faro for a conference with Elder Suarez from the seventy. It went really well and I understood 95%+ of what he said. He talked a lot about being how diligence=success and how we need to talk with literally everyone because we have no idea who is prepared to receive this Restored Gospel.

Sunday we had Branch conference, the branch really pushed for attendance, with all the Stake leaders and less actives that came we had 37 people! It felt so different and our chapel was packed! I hope to see it like that more often.

I finished the Book of Mormon in English on Tuesday, when I prayed again asking Heavenly Father if the book was true I had a feeling like of course it is true, you already know that this is true. I can not remember a specific point of time that I received an answer that the  Book of Mormon was true, My answer came to me through many spiritual experiences with the Book over a period of time. The Book is True! After I finished reading it in English I decided to begin reading in Portuguese. I always have a Livro De Mórmon with me, and I found that I could easily read 10 pages a day with a few minutes I have here or there. I hope to read it in less than 2 months!

Até Proximo.

Elder Anderson











 More pics from the Safari Park last week:









 View from the Setúbal Apartment




Monday, February 13, 2017

The runny nose Miracle

Olá,

This week we had a few big rain storms that brought in some really cold, windy weather, it was freezing cold a few days this week, but it it feels great here today. Last Monday we had an appointment with Lilioné at 7. We were walking back from the other side of town and my nose was running so we decided to stop by the house for a little bit, then we went to her apartment complex and rang the 3ES (left) bell and she didn´t answer. Elder Luis was like lets just sit and wait a few minutes then try again. So we waited a few minutes, then this young mother and her daughter were walking down the road to the apartment complex and Elder Luis began to talk to them and it was Lilioné! She then invited us in to her house on the 4th floor and we taught the Restoration to her and her daughter. It was such a miracle. When I rang the bells a few days prior the last one I rang before she picked up was 3ES so we thought she lived in a different house. If we wouldn't have stopped by the house for me to blow my nose we would have missed her. Milagres cada dia!

A woman in Torrão, a city about an hour and a half away, filled out a referral online We got in contact with her, had a firm appointment and decided to drive out there and meet with her. When we arrived hardly anyone was in the city and we were wondering what was going on, We passed by her house 3 times and she wasn't there so we knocked a few doors and gave out some pass along cards. We were heading back and walked past this huge Catholic church that was letting out and it looked like General Conference was letting out haha it was wild. We couldn't contact any of the people and it was getting late so we had to head back. That was our first and probably last time ever going to Torrão.

Sunday we held the first group Sacrament meeting in Santiago do Cacém in Emanuel´s house, with the 4 members that live in Santiago and President Inacio´s family. It was cool we hope to eventually have a branch out there.

I found this 450 page Student Manual of the Doctrine and Covenants in our our and began reading it on Friday, it is fascinating, I don´t think I have ever learned so much church doctrine in such a short period of time. I am excited to continue reading and learning more!

Até Logo,

Elder Anderson





 Santiago do Cacém
 Santo André

 We went to the Badoca Safari park today it was sweet! I felt like I was in the middle of Africa.