Wrapping up the week with General Conference! (with pics!)

Working in Odivelas!  

We ran into some members from Sacavem yesterday as 

we went to Benefica to listen to General Conference.  

First pic is with Joanna....

then with Irmao Panzo and finally with Joaquim -- all from Sacavem!

Bom Dia Famlia, Tudo Bem!?

This week seemed to go by fast. And ended well with Good old General Conference! Been a nice start to the transfer with Elder Empee. A couple weeks ago we had taught an Elvina and Teadora, and when we had returned to teach them again, Teadora didn´t seem like she wanted us back again so we didn´t get back in the door.This week on Tuesday, we decided to stop by again, and Elvina was more than Happy to let us in and teach her. She loved learning and seems interested. She invited us to come back on Thursday because she wanted to cook us Bacalhão com natas, a special Portuguese dish here, and be taught again. We were pumped. She is about our age, from Angola, studying architecture here in Portugual. Nice Girl and hope to see here progress! Read 2 Nephi 31 with her and enjoyed explaining to her the Book of Mormon. As I said to here, ´´If you pray about the book of mormon being the word of God and Know that it is true, you will know that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and if you know Joseph Smith was a prophet, you know that He restored the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day saints again here on earth, the only church with the proper priesthood authority to baptize in his name,´´ or something like that in Portuguese. As I was finishing saying that, she was saying if for me hahah she said ´´I know, I have that memorized already from you guys saying it.´´ Haha well it is true! She got sick this weekend but hopefully she got to attend general conference in her house on the computer. 

Had another lesson with Sonia, Vivem and Dulce, watching the video the restoration and trying to pull out the doubts that have come into their minds. Trying to help them set a goal for baptism. Sad to see. Pedro as well had a hard time meeting with us because of work. Hopefully we can see him this week!

We met and taught a good new amount of investigators,this week and will see if they keep with their proximal visits with us and want to progress. One was pretty awesome that I hope they continue. Seems like they have good potential. Elder Empee and I decided to Knock some doors, and one we knocked the lady said, ´´Who's there?´´ ´´Hello!´´ ´´Who´s there?´´ ´´Elder Empee e Holmes.`` ´´What`` haha kept going back and forth until she yelled through the door she didn´t want anything!  We calmly said, ´´Just a card for you?´´ No!  ´´Just a card?´´ Finally she opened the door, we gave her a card of Jesus Christ, and then she just started firing off super good questions, telling us how impressed she was with our appearance and manners and Portuguese, inviting her husband to meet us and accepeted a meeting with them the following night. Haha Loved how she said, ´´you guys talk so firm, like you guys just KNOW that these things are true, without doubting. How did you guys come to that conclusion?´´ We responded and said how it was all through prayer and the following night we would answer even more questions like these. Patricia from Angola and Regenaldo from Brasil. Taught them a great lesson on Saturday, and they told us how they felt we are here to help them find God’s church, and a good environment for their daughter Laura (who is 4) to grow up in. Elder Empee and I growing up in this church testified of the blessings that truly come from this gospel. Hoping to see them progress!

General Conference was Great! Hope you guys all had the opportunity to watch it. I loved in the beginning how Henry B. Eying challenged us to pay tune to the spirit throughout this weekened and listen attentively to the inspired speakers. For our investigators, I loved elder Bednar´s talk. I love how he shared how after we are baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, as we weekly partake of the sacrament we can be clean through repentance through the Holy Ghost during the week. It isn´t just the act of taking the sacrament at the end of the week that gives us a remission of our sins, but it is the weekly taking, daily repenting, that allows the Holy Ghost to cleanse us. I also loved Bonnie L. Oscarson's when she asked us ´´Do you believe it or not? We have the knowledge of the things but do we believe them ? We need to get the gospel from our Minds to our HEARTS´´ And lastly, Elder Holland’s last talk. How he expressed the Love he and all the General Authorities have for us, and how we need to take today and apply it into tomorrow. Coming off a spiritual high of conference, and keeping that spirit as the days go on. I loved how he said the first great commandment is to love God with all thy heart, but the first great truth is that God loves us. How he loves the ones that want to improve and is Happy when we just keep trying, that he will never desert us and will aways be there, especially when we struggle. I know these men are God’s servants here on earth, and that what they said is exactly what we needed to hear.

Love and miss you all!

Elder Holmes