The Right Keys

 

Tiago spent 5 hours with us one afternoon last week as we were walking around meeting new people. 

The key to missionary work is to visit with everyone.

Having the right keys is important!  It sure helps to get into our apartment or to drive the car.  The key to having police and firemen smile is banana cake. The key to Joy is a faith in Jesus Christ and understanding that He can help us become better than we are.  The Priesthood keys are to bless us with each step we take toward understanding our Savior's love.  Keys only work when we do something with them.

The key to friendship is being one.  Hannah, (right), lives in Utah.  Her father is a professor at BYU.  They are here again this week on vacation.  She is best friends with Julia (left), who is just waiting for her parents to give her permission to become baptized in a couple of years when she turns 18. Julia's mother also came to church.  Both of these young women have such lovely families! It was fun to see them together.

Carlos will receive the Aaronic Priesthood this Sunday authorized by one holding Priesthood keys!  

We enjoy giving out Books of Mormon as gifts when people are interested. We prepared 10 to share last week, but we still have 2 on the table... those we have already written in... to present to Vitor and Mirela (right) and the other is for their friend, Gabriela, (who is holding their son). Vitor is a professional soccer player from Brasil.  We met them as we were going into the grocery store.  Later we went to their home.  They were gone this weekend to one of his games, so she told us to call after Monday.

We were on our way to take the Books to them when we realized that we had left our keys in the apartment and the door was locked behind us! (we had been on visits in Ribeiro Grande and so it was getting late and we were hurrying)...but that's when after an hour or so we met Carlos Rego, a fireman who was so engaging to visit with about the Church while we waited for the policemen to arrive and fill out paperwork and unlock our door!  Carlos was kind and asked us some wonderful questions about faith, blessings, and why our church has a basketball court in it's parking lot! He shared his name and number before he left.  We hope to visit him this week.

It was all business until I remembered the banana cake and once it was shared they even let me take their photo! Ha.  I also took some to our sweet neighbor who helped us get their phone number in the first place!  The people here are so kind.  And the cost of opening the door was less than a hotel would have been! 

A highlight for us just before the key incident was in the home of Bernadinho and Maria da Paz.  Their future son in law, wants so much to quit smoking. Ronaldo started smoking young and is very addicted like so many here.  In our visits, he has been reading the scriptures about what faith can do in our lives.  At the end of this visit, he let me tear up his last 9 cigarettes.  It takes alot of courage for a young man to take that step. But, each of us can change what gets in the way of forever if we choose faith. 

We have worked with some really good elders and it is always hard when they are transferred.   I have to concentrate on the blessing of meeting the new elders that are transferred here.  This transfer we have two elders from Brasil, Elder Nascimento and Elder Brolim, and Elder Burnham from Canada, and Elder Alvey from Sandy, Utah, whom we worked with in Evora when we first came to Portugal.  He reminded us that he will spend both of his mission Christmases with us. The elders come for lunch after meetings each Sunday.  It is so nice to have them in our home. They enjoy seeing our family photo.  (And we love showing them!)
 

We Love you and hope you have a great week!  We love hearing about all the things you are doing, dreaming.  This week marks the one/half of our mission point...and we have so much still that we hope to do.  The weeks go by fast.  Thank you for all of your prayers and love.  You gift us with Joy!