``Tem Fé´´

Olá! 

Another week down for good ol´ Elder Holmes!! Crazy that I have already been here for 3 weeks!! Time is really flying. It seems like yesterday I was just here writing an email! 

Anyway, last monday after I emailed, we had an appointment with a Lady and her family that we met on the street. She´s about 40 and has 2 daughters who are about 14 and 7! Anyway, we had the first lesson with the Mom and the 14 year old and they absolutely loved it. Thought it was so awesome and loved the Book of Mormon and the Scriptures we shared in the bible, the first vision, how the gospel can bless families, etc. We were so excited because they just seem like such a great family and that our Heavenly Father has really been preparing them to meet us. The younger daughter ran in several times, kinda disrupting the lesson, and when I asked her if she was the daughter that loved frozen (the first day we met the mom she was holding a frozen poster) she broke out in song and wouldn´t stop singing the rest of the time. Haha i loved it and I LOVE THEM! They said they would come to church and that we could teach them tonight... but then they ended up not coming to church and we haven´t heard back from them about our appointment tonight. So I´m not sure. We will see. Just gotta ``Tem Fé´´ (have faith) that if we do everything on our end it´ll all work out with our Heavenly Father. 

The rest of the week was hard. Probably the hardest week I´ve had out here on the mission so far. The first two weeks I felt like I was understanding a good amount... but this week really humbled me. I don´t know why it was just so hard to understand them! Things I´ve never heard before. The language is coming slow and steady and I´m really making goals every week for studying and listening and speaking. One night I returned and had the biggest headache because I literally just zone in and try to listen to every word these natives are saying! You would be proud mom, my listening skills are really improving! This week we taught a good amount of less actives and had a couple meals with some members, along with some meetings with Simão (our mission leader here). He is an awesome member and so passionate about the work. I loved hearing his conversion story he shared with us, 20 years ago, and how great those sister missionaries were. 

We also ate at this members restaurant which was incredible! He feeds one set of missionary dupla every week. What a nice guy! I love the food here and love cooking as well.

Some funny things this week that went on was first: we were about to begin our district meeting and we all shared quickly an appropriate joke so I of course shared an anti-joke haha. It reminded me of the time that Andrew Christian Rachel and I were driving in the car years ago and had the anti jokes pulled up on my phone and christian and I were just dieing laughing at all the ones we were reading and rachel was like ´´why in the world are these funny?´´ hahah. Oh Rachi poo, I miss you. It also reminded me of the time we were driving in Mexico, as well, and Rachel kept saying “Babe, stop!" to Andrew for talking in a mexican accent. hahaha.

Last night, we went to Elder Suttons area (which was like 4 miles away haha) becuase Elder Sanderson is still sick (been like 3 weeks!) so we are in a trio until Sanderson gets back from Lisbon. We contacted two super awesome people. One family we made an appointment to meet them on Tuesday, my birthday. We saw them walking around the city and then the next time we saw them we asked the little boy holding a soccer ball if he was a soccer player! He replied yeah, we talked a little, asked their names, and shared how we could see what a great family they had, mom and dad son and daugther. How we have a message about families that we´d love to share with them. Super excited now for Tuesday!!

This week, while contacting, we also got told by a guy that he was going to call the cops on us. Then another person, when we rang her door bell, she talked to us over the intercom and said ´´Vai Chatear um outro!`` Which means ´´Go annoy someone else!´´ Lets just say people are either really friendly to us or the contrary! But I´m loving it. Loving it here. And loving the work. I can´t have the fear of upsetting them. If I do, I risk the opportunity of saving them.

Well not much else. Last story I´ll share is about the other Elder that lives with us, Elder Sutton. I figured out when I got here that he has 4 brothers as well, just like me! For that, we have been able to relate on a lot. The other day when they were all getting their hair cut, I shared how I´ve only gotten like a few hair cuts at a barber, and that the rest have been from my dad with the FLOWBEE! Elder Sutton got so excited and said ``No WAY! My dad would always give us haircuts with that too!´´ Haha. No one ever knows what in the world the Flowbee is and I finally could relate to someone! You´ve gotta talk to Elder Sutton’s dad, Dad. You’d probably have a lot in common, raising 5 boys. 

Well, That´s about it. Kind of a slower week but I´m ready to work hard this week! This week I read an address called ``Becoming a Consecrated Missionary´´ which I absolutley loved!! It was so awesome and I set my goal on becoming a consecrated misisonary over time. There are plenty of good missionaries, some great ones, but only a few consecrated ones. Ones that really leave it all out on the field. Who get home from the day knowing they couldn´t have given any more. Who put their fears, their pride, their negativism and sarcasm, selfishness and disobedience on the alter and become an Extra miler, a consecrated misisonary that has power. With time, 2 years here in Portugal, I´m keeping that as a goal. 

Love you all,

Elder Holmes