Missionary Work and Joy and Your Grandpa!

There are many Joys in serving a mission...and I must tell you that having your Grandpa for my companion is one of them!!!  Of course, the highlight for this week has been watching General Conference in bits and pieces as we can in English (while recording it in Portuguese for this coming Sat. and Sun. in the branches).  There are so many great parts to a mission...you will love serving. yours...(and a bit sooner with the Prophet's announcement about the ages of missionaries!) YEA!   

Now you must know that missions are alot of work.  But you will love it because it matters.  We don't always know when or why it matters...but we know that it does.   Like the feeling we had to walk down a street and I stopped to take a photo of a beautiful tree while asking the owners, Manuel and Rosealea, what it was and they could help me because it was a subject they love and I wanted to know more...and by and by... we not only knew the name of the beautiful plants...but we had an appointment to go back and share with them what we love, because they wanted to know more.  We returned and returned and visited and returned...and even gave them one of the Books of Mormon that our Mission President had asked us to put our photo in and write our testimony in.  They would sometimes come to the door.  Sometimes we would visit with them...and sometimes on the way home...we wondered why we keep feeling to go back?!  

While Missionary work...is work...some of it is just plain fun.  Here are some of the fun things we get to do.   Since I am the one with the camera...you will see Grandpa alot...I think he is a great missionary!   

These wonderful young leaders (counselors and secretary in a Sao Filipe branch) came for a short visit as we were just on our way out the door...they really enjoy your grandpa...he inspires them to do their callings and to prepare for Missions and he talks about Temple Marriage for when they return!  Only Bruno (left) has been a member of the church for a whole year and he has been called to serve in Brasil!  (All three are preparing for missions.)  I promised each of them a pancake breakfast before they leave on their mission.  Some of the missionaries from here have tasted pancakes before...others have only heard about them... so far!

Counseling...it is amazing how many come to Grandpa to ask questions...maybe because our hair is gray now...people think we know something!  Mostly, they know we love Heavenly Father and so they are really asking us, what we think, He would think.  While Grandpa was in branch meetings and in interviews yesterday, a very young Relief Society President asked if she could visit with me.  She poured out her heart about some very difficult decisions that she is facing right now. We are so thankful that we have the scriptures to answer the questions. I am so thankful that Grandpa honors the gift of being able to use The Priesthood of God to bless people... and thankful we know about the incredible gift of Prayer, so our Father in Heaven can inspire each of us in our own lives to know what is right and what is not.

Sometimes, the electricity goes off at nights...but phone light (or candle-light) make it possible to finish reading an important chapter during our visit!  

Seminary and Institute Teacher Training...We are very excited for The New Testament Study this Semester!  We hosted an Opening Social in each branch and had a one day training for our 12 Instructors. We have  over 120 students on Fogo and Brava Islands.  They are kind and receptive to us everywhere we go...and we think this year will be a great one.

OK...so now I can tell you one of the greatest Joys of Missionary work and why (at least one reason why) sometimes you will need to go back to a home over and over...even when you don't know why.  

One night we were at the young adult center with about 46 young adults when I noticed a young man that we had not met yet.  I asked him for his name and he said: Luridiu.  He smiled and told us that he has our book.  We assumed he was talking about the Book of Mormon...which he was, and encouraged him to read it...which he is.  "I mean the book with your photos in it...I am reading your book."  Meet a very studious and thoughtful young man: His name is Lucridiu Pires Lopes, the son of  Manuel and Rosalea.  He began reading a book that his father has...with our testimony just inside the cover...He knows that Book is True.  So do we.