Just Mixing it Up Here!

GOOOOOD MORRNING UNITED STATES!

Always so weird to think its like 4 here and and like 10 in the morning there! Hope all is well and everyone had a great week! Here in Beja, it has been raining a lot. It isn´t as hot though as it used to be, and this week was definitly a different one!

The other elders were in Lisboa all week because Elders Simpson is sick, so we had Beja all to ourselves. We have been thinking of things to do differently here, as it has been very difficult to find new people to teach.  So this week we took some time to think of some fresh ideas! We decided to put service cards in a painting store. We also decided to pass by a hospital and ask for any service or if we could put our name and number somewhere (weren´t too successful with that. Apparently there is some Portugal laws mumbo jumbo haha) We also started teaching english every Thursday and Saturday night which was fun! And my favorite of the week, we are trying to make more friendship with the people here, especially the youth. We were thinking of things we could do to promote english class, so we decided to cook 50 cookies, print out pass along cards for english, and just go out and talk to kids and give out cookies during their lunch hour!  It was a little strange at first to us and to them, but by the end, the kids were loving it and throughout the weekend we kept running into kids that waned to talk to us more. We are hoping in the future, after more friendshipping with them, and maybe some soccer playing, we will be able to teach their families and bless their lives. A little longer process, but hopefully we will see fruits in the future! We are thinking of doing the cookies again this week, and not going to lie, THIS STUFF IS TOTALLY ELDER HOLMES! hahaha! I was laughing with them, messing around about Justin Beiber, and let’s just say that I liked it. Here in Beja, the missionaries have been here for a while and that is why we need to mix it up a little bit! 

Anyways, we taught a student here at the college, Nelson, probably 25 or so this week and he seems pretty interested. He had already recieved a book of mormon when he grew up in Largos, so maybe this is the time. Seemed interested, felt the spirit, and are hopefully going to work more with him this week. These other two families we contacted might have some potential too! We have one lesson with one of these families tonight and are trying to schedule the other family later in the week. We contacted one of the families by really just playing with their dog (haha)  It was a shitzu, and looked exactly like COSMO! The guy loved talking to us. Even talked to him about shitzus choosing one master and how Cosmo chose my mom and how whenever I was home alone with Cosmo, he loved me, but the minute mom walked in the door, he would book it to her! This guy said how true that was with his son, and I even showed him a picture of cosmo and koda and then testified about eternal familes. Potiential I think! The other family, who we are teaching tonight, some older elders had contacted them. We found them on the street one night this week and talked to them for a while. By the end we were laughing. The little girls thought we were funny, and when we were walking away we heard them say how nice we were. Melted my Heart. 

This week we also learned how to make rice!! One of the girls that came to english class, her mom owns a restuarant and is friends with our member Antonio! We have been befriending the daughter and now the mom and so we were asking her how to make rice that doesn´t stick. She gave us her secretes, we made a 5 star rice bowl one day, and thanked her by bringing her some cookies. She was pretty pumped about it to say the least. They are always so surprised when we say we made the cookies! I guess we are just trying to grasp the hearts of the people of Portugal with Momma Holmes' Cookie recipe! They sure don´t have them here in Portugal!

Edson gave his testimony in church yesterday and just killed it! The guy is incredible. It´s like they should just make him a bishop already. He is supposed to move back to Brazil here soon though but I just love the guy. Had a little lesson with him last night as well in president ruberval’s house. He is already doing a great job sharing the gospel and is even trying to help less actives come back to the church. 

This week was a good one! Hopefully it will be a great one this coming week as well! Trying things new. And having fun! Being myself. The gospel is so true and truly blesses lives. Love you all!

Elder Holmes