Monday, June 26, 2017

Semana

Olá,

Wednesday night we were returning home and I looked at a small apartment building and had the feeling that we should go knock it. We met this cool lady named Alexandra and taught her the Plan of Salvation.

We knocked a door, they said, "We´re Catholic" (tons of people use that as a Barrier) Elder Fisk was super thirsty so he asked for water and they offered us Beer...We declined.

Metro (like a subway) contacts are the best. I used to be super scared to talk to people there but now the fear is gone and I just enjoy it. It is funny because there are tons of people sitting there and I just start talking with the first person I see and go to the next and next everybody is looking at me and knows they are going got be next so they try to look busy and get on their phone or something but it never works for them haha. I saw a lady looking at me when I was talking to a few other people so I walked up to her and said, "Já sabes tu és próximo" or "you already know that you are next" haha.

Nothing too big happened this week, a lot of small miracles though. Street Corners. We find everyone on street corners, we are walking one direction and they are walking the other, we have ran into a lot of our friends and old investigators and potentials this way.

Last night we were returning and the both us looked at apartment complex #20 so we decided to knock it, one of the buttons was weird so Elder Fisk decided to press it the 7th of 11 floors so we knocked from there to the bottom and no one was interested, we wondered why we felt inspired to knock that apartment when we left and there was a cool guy named Edson from Brasilia, Brasil leaving from delivering Pizza, We talked with him, he was in a hurry but we got his information and marked an appointment for this week. 

I gave a talk on Faith in Jesus Christ in our group meeting Sunday, I used a few scriptures Helaman 5:47 was one of them, and used an example that I saw on lds.org that faith in Jesus Christ can be a shield against things of the world. It went well.

We passed Ana and watched the video https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-11-018-a-book-of-mormon-story?lang=eng  from a Bishop in London, England and how the Book of Mormon changed his life. when we were about to start the video her cousin Pedro walked in he happened to be visiting them and is from London. After we testified of the power of the Book of Mormon and left one with him inviting him to read it. 

Before entering the MTC, my Grandma Anderson gave me 50+ pages of Family History Stories from my Pioneer ancestors, I have been reading them for a while and finished them all this week. It was super cool to learn about them!

Tchau,
Elder Anderson

 Our Apartment (the second floor)







Monday, June 19, 2017

Training for a Day

Olá,

Tuesday we had divisions, I stayed in Almada with Elder Guymon, who had been in Portugal for 3 weeks haha. I basically trained for a day. I was a little nervous leading our area all by myself but it went well. In the morning we went to pass some Less actives in the north part of our area, when we usually pass (visit) a person in an apartment complex we press the other buttons and try to get in so we can knock their actual door, I did this and someone let us in so we knocked on the door that let us in and met a guy named Rogeiro. We said we were missionaries and he said come on in! We then taught him the restoration and he was super receptive, he then said in was funny that we passed today because he works in Lisbon and that day was a holiday in Lisbon so he did not work and happened to be in his house.

In the evening we taught Katia and Frances the Word of Wisdom, and explained that God does not want us to partake of Alcohol, Tobacco, Black Tea, Coffee or Illegal drugs because our bodies are temples and we should treat them like that as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. She has a small problem with Coffee, after the lesson I asked her if I could have it, then I tried to buy it from her (and through it away) haha neither worked but he committed to finish what she had and after no more. After that our last lesson fell through, our goal was to teach 3 lessons that day and we had just taught 2. It was about 9:20, about time to return home. We thought about passing the grocery store real quick and getting as few things that we need but then decided we would at least try to teach one more lesson, We passed an apartment building and i thought no, then the next and i had a feeling that it was that one, I knocked a few then someone let us in we met a guy named Mateus he invited us in and we taught a brief restoration and left a Book of Mormon with him. It was such a miracle that we were able to teach three lessons that day!

The next day we went back to pass the same less actives because they were not home that day and we ended up running into Rogeiros friend, Marcos he invited us in and we taught him the Restoration and invited him to read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon.

We met our goals for 12 lessons and 10 new investigators this week!

We had zone conference again this week, President Tavares spoke  about three zones of missionaries: Fubecagem (Lazy), Comfortable and Consecrated (giving all you have to the lord) and being determined to reach your goals and how your hard work will pay off with many blessings in the end. We all got super pumped to work hard.

Irmã Rosa took us to a sushi buffet and we at a ton!!

Sunday we had stake conference and had a visit from a different Elder Anderson from the seventy he spoke a lot about the time to prepare to go the the holy temple is not when it opens, 6 months before is opens but now! and the blessing the temple will be for the faithful saints here in Portugal and how it will help boost the work here. He also shared a ton of super cool,l conversion stories that he has been a part of.

We went to pass Tejan, he was not home but his neighbor Claudia we coming home at that time I introduced us as the Elders and she said that she had talked to the Elders 10 years ago and liked our message but hadn't talked to us since and thought it was funny that we ran into each other at that time.

Last night we ran into a a lady named Margarita, she had some bad back problems and was carrying two heavy bags of groceries back to her house, so we carried then for her, she was super grateful for our help.

My brother Scott returned from his mission in Brazil this week, it is crazy how fast time flies!

Tchau.
Elder Anderson

 New Scripture cases







Monday, June 12, 2017

Este Semana

Olá,

We were working in the north part of our area and ran into guy named Luis, he said that he has prayed a few times in his life asking God if he should follow religion or not. And the next day he has always ran into the Elders. Then he told us that he prayed yesterday. This was the seventh time this has occurred. Crazy. We tried to make an appointment and invited him to church in our group meeting, but nothing came from it except for God told him for a 7th time that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter~day Saints is the true Church.

I enjoy Gospel study every morning, the 1 hour we have goes by so fast. I have wanted to read Jesus the Christ but haven't have had the time so i downloaded the audio and this week listened to the first 13 chapters.

We had a division with President Tavares this week with him we taught Ana the Restoration and Delfine and Ana the Plan of Salvation (We are teaching 4 different women all by the name of Ana haha) both lessons went really well and they were really accepting. President Tavare´s teaching is literally perfect.

I saw a man and had a feeling that we should talk to him, I introduced us as the missionaries and he told us that he was a member, named Per Evens. We explained to him how we were starting a group meeting in Cova da Piedade and invited him to come, Sunday he and his girlfriend came to our group meeting!

We met an African man named "Branco" or "White" haha

Friday we passed lots of Less Actives with Francisco from the High Council in the area close to our group trying to invite them to our group meeting, but most of them were not in their houses, 

Catia and Frances are still doing well. Frances is 9 and understands everything so well!

This morning we went to Lisbon again because I had to do "S.E.F." I  now have residency in Portugal!



Até Proximo.
Elder Anderson

















Monday, June 5, 2017

Lost Phone Miracle

Olá,

With our group meeting in Cova da Piedade we have been working a lot more in the north part of the area trying to build our little group there Sunday we just had 7 of us but this week we will work even harder to bring some Less active or Investigators there.

Tuesday we were leaving the chapel after a mission zoom conference and around the corner we met a guy named Hugo and talked with him for 10 minutes about the Book of Mormon, He was super receptive to our message, but he lives on the other side of the river so we passed his info to the missionaries there. Right after we got done talking to him we received a call from the church office (Our chapel is split, one half in the church offices for Portugal and Cape Verde the other is our actual chapel) that they had a new church key for us, ours had broken a while back. After talking to Hugo we were still really close to the chapel. If we had not talked to him we would have had to walk a good ways back. Milagre.

We were looking for an address for a reference and saw a door to a 10-story apartment complex open, we said well its open for a reason, we went to the top and knocked a few floors and met a lady named Carla who had talked with the missionaries about 10 years ago, we talked for a little bit about the restored gospel and how it could bless her family, she wasn´t interested in hearing right then but i think we helped prepare an elect for the missionaries her down the road.

Last week we were knocking doors on one of our inspired roads. I saw a gypsie teenager who was smoking and looked as he had been drinking but nonetheless i had the feeling that i should talk to him, we made an appointment with him later in the week. Later that week when we went to pass him we ran into a guy named Tejan at an intersection, we were walking down two different roads and were passing the intersection at the same time. He said that he had a friend that served a mission and is some what familiar with the church and wants to hear more. It was such a miracle how we found him. It is amazing to see how Heavenly Father leads us to his prepared children!

We passed Bruno, and ended up teaching his Mom, Ana also, and she is super receptive to the gospel.

After 3 and a half months of waiting my name tags came in! it is so nice to have more than one.

We taught Orlando the Restoration, he is super cool, after when we had returned to Laranjeiro Elder Fisk realized that he didn't have the phone. So we passed the house so he could get his pass to the metro then we rode the metro back to get the phone. On the way down there Caio, who we taught some time ago was on the metro, I had a chance to talk to him for a few minutes, then we got the phone, returned to the metro, I saw a guy whose face lit up when he saw us so I sat by him, he said "Oh you are the missionaries! my cousin served a mission and I am familiar with the church." So we got his contact info, and passed it on to the Miratejo Elders where he lives. He had to have been the reason we left the phone at Orlando´s house.

We had interviews with President Tavares again on Saturday. On the train there I sat by a guy named Paulo and explained that I was a missionary and began talking about the Book of Mormon and basically taught him the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He was interested in learning more so we passed his info to the Elders in Seixal. On the way back I sat by a guy named Hugo, He was playing some game on his phone, but i wanting to talk to him so i waited until he looked up and then introduced myself and I began explaining the Book of Mormon to him. I told him that they was a family that left Jerusalem on a boat to ancient America, how God established his church in America and how after Christ was resurrected he visited the people in America. He eyes lit up as I explained it, "Another testament of Jesus Christ, Christ himself visited america?! No way! I want it how much can I buy it for?" I explained that it was not for sale, but that I could give it to him for free. I then invited him to read the introduction and passed his info on to Miratejo. It was a miracle that we found both of them, because we arrived to the train station a little late and had to wait 20 more minutes for the next train.

Tchau,
Elder Anderson


 
 (Shovel from the groundbreaking of the temple in Lisbon, Portugal!)

 Kebab!
 New Shirts

 Fatura

 New Name tags!