Architecture

So we ARE in Europe and  would expect some great architecture and we do have it.  I just wanted to share a few of the pictures I have taken.  One of the most beautiful things  here are the  doors.  Even on tiny apartments or houses the doors are beautiful. Some  of the newer ones look like  ours but most are very pretty

View from our balcony in Olhao.











Balconies are everywhere.  Even if they are tiny almost every apartment has a balcony.  The rod iron or woodwork is amazing. I wish my pictures did them justice

These cubes and also little balls are all over.  they keep people from parking on the sidewalk or walkways.  Reminded me of Target.

Quandry

Well Kathleen is having her lesson right now and we are in Loule and I left the  papers I was working on in the apartment in Olhao. I will be so glad when we can move since they haven't decided to release me yet. I made a list of the  active members in the branch and there are approximately 35, 7 of those are youth under 17.
   I am trying to decide on who should be the primary president as the district took mine the first sunday we were here. She is an amazing membber and I can see why they would want her but it not easy to decide who to replace her with since I only know a few. I've asked a couple of the leaders for suggestions but can't seem to get settled on a name. One of the suggestions was to move the current young woman president to the primary and call her counselor as the new young women president. Well that would mean that I would have a 19 year old young men president and and 18 year old young woman president. They are however both amazing young people. The young womans mother said this would be a great training for her when she goes on her mission at 19.

TEACHING THE GOSPEL

'Thought while you're mom was getting ready for her lesson I would do a little blog about and experience we are having with a family where the dad is a member but doesn't want anything to do with the church right now. He has a 15 year old son who has expressed interest in learning about the church. I have gone with the elder there three times to visit them. The first time we talked mostly with the dad and he told us he just really wasn't interested in the church anymore. The second time we visited with them I told the dad that I loved the relationship he has with his son and that the Lord really needed someone like him to work with the young men in the branch. He hesitated for a minute and then said the he really wouldn't be interested. So The elders taught the son about the need for prophets and the first vision and then introduced the Book of Mormon. They marked some passages for him and for the dad and asked them to read them. When we returned two days later the dad had read and had a question but couldn't find the passage so he said it didn't matter and left the room. The boy Miguel Botelho said he had read one verse and that was all. The elders asked him if he had prayed about it and he said. no. So the elders talked more about the importance of the Book of Mormon and ask him if he would read. He said he would. We knelt in prayer and he prayed a short sweet prayer.
We returned last Friday and the dad said high and went into the kitchen. The mom Helda does sewing for people in her home and the living room is her work shop so she said she was sorry but she had to work and hoped that would be ok.  So we asked Miguel if he had read and prayed and he said no. So the elders and I and he read together about the appearance of Christ in the Americas and discussed certain things. There are two verses back to back that say we have to become as little children. I stopped them and asked Miguel what he thought that meant. He said that we needed to be humble. I said that was right but it meant we need to  be teachable like little children also. I then  said when our children were little  they always said why this why that until I would finally say no more whys for today. At this point the mother laughed and I realized she had been listening. (she is a devout practicing Catholic and the first visit told us our churches were the same). We then went on taking turns reading and when we finished I asked Miguel what he thought and he said he really liked the part about becoming like little children. The elders then talked to him about his feelings and how if he felt things were right he would need to decide to get baptized. At this point he said he didn't think so he just wanted to learn about the church. So I looked at him and said" Miguel you remind me of a man who. on a very dark night wants to see to the other side of the street and right beside him is a large light that will light up the whole area and all he has to do is turn  the  switch, but he doesn't."   He just keeps staring across the street not seeing anything. I then  told him the scripture in 2 Timothy that says in the last days men will be "ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth". I looked him in the eyes and said, "Miguel these men are like the man on the street with the light that he doesn't turn on and that is what you are doing. There is a difference between learning and knowing. Anyone can learn but those who know have to do something.  You need to turn on the light and how do you do that?" He said read the book and pray and I said. " that's right." We then asked the mom if she would stop sewing while we had a prayer. We asked Miguel if we could kneel and he said yes and  His mom left the sewing table and knelt with us. Miguel asked me to  pray and so I did.
So we go back to visit them tomorrow night and I hope the mom has some sewing to do because I have prepared a little lesson on the sealing power.
     For those of you who read this would you please pray for this family. That the mother will listen and  be touched by the spirit and  Miguel will read and pray about the Book of Mormon.
Love you all and am so grateful to be here and serve our Heavenly Father.      

New Apartment

We are finally here in Loule' (low-lay) The apartment is great.  It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms ,a kitchen and a large living room (about the size of my living room at home).  It has been newly updated so it's all good.  The kitchen has very limited cupboard space so I had to do some creative organizing.  One of the elders helped us haul groceries up after we did a large shopping trip and laughed at the cupboards and told us his kitchen was twice as big.  Anyway I used dishpans on one of the lower shelves to contain stuff and was able to get everything in.  One of the things that is different is the size of the cupboard doors.  They are two of the ones at home and swing out over and past the edge of the counter.  If you leave them open don't bend over and raise up. Gale is sporting a huge bump on the head cause I had the cupboard open and he bent over to get groceries out of the large bag on the floor and raised up.  It hurts so bad.  The Master bathroom is tiny.  It was tiny before they squoze in a tiny shower.  You have to go in sideways past the sink.  Everything is shiny and new, including the tiny shower that dad wears for a few minutes every morning.  The other bathroom is roomy with a tub/shower.  The repairman came yesterday to fix a curtain rod and hang a mirror in the bedroom so I could dry my hair as there are no outlets in the bathroom.  He and dad figured out how to put an outlet in each bathroom for the waterpic and toothbrushes. We can't use the hairdryer when any and I mean any other appliance is on or it flips the main breaker and your standing in the dark.  In 5 days dad gets indoor parking.  There is a parking space that goes with this apartment but since the apartment was empty it was rented but their lease is up in 5 days.   Gale is so excited to always have a parking spot and not have to park on the sidewalk (1/2 on and 1/2 off) or three blocks away, since parking on the main street is 1 Euro per hour (about $1.25)
  Gale  is currently working on getting the Branch list straightened out so we can have names with addresses so we can go visit the "less-actives."
We got our voda-phone running yesterday but the internet wasn't supposed to be totally up until today but today it didn't work so we have to go back and talk to them.  I make all the appointments for local missionaries with doctors through the insurance  company in Russiia  by e-mail so it is a pain to have to go to  the church  to send the email then go back to get their answer then go back to get the appointment then go back to get a guarantee of payment.  So it will be nice too have that capability with  us alll the time.

Conference

Twice a year I look forward to General Conference whether it is with some of my children, and grandchildren or the two of us alone in the quiet of our family room.  This year was no different in that respect, however I was a little concerned over the language since I cannot always ( actually seldom) understand what is going on in Sacrament, Sunday School, and Relief Society.  Then Dad thought of a plan.  I would sit with him and watch conference on my ipad with the ear plugs in.  I wouldn't bother anyone and I could actually understand the words of the Prophets and apostles.  I was excited to go and I greeted everyone with the usual kisses.  We got there a bit early so I could get plugged in so to speak.  I got to listen to the first two talks and everything was going great when the site crashed. The stream in the chapel is satellite so it was there but my ipad couldn't pick up anything. I sat there so disappointed that I couldn't help  my eyes watering profusely.  Dad felt horrible but he was having his own struggles trying to understand.  After a few minutes I left and went to another room closer to the server but to no avail.  Conference ended and we went to the Centro Commerical  (Mall) for dinner at Pizza Hut.  I voiced my frustration as did Dad and we both laughed and he reminded me how far I had come with the language and I truly had been blessed with the gift of tongues but I wasn't done yet.  The Pizza was great (better than at home)  We had two hours until conference started again at 9pm so we walked around the mall, and I bought a book bag to carry all my study supplies.  Then, we went back to the Faro Chapel for conference.  I  found out the Sisters were setting up for an investigator who only speaks English so went to join him.  He was a very nice young man from Napal.   The sisters left us in this little office and we couldn't get the TV to connect to the stream so we used my ipad  and  it worked at least for part of the session- GRR!  So, we visited for the rest of the time.  He told me a bit of his story and I got to bear testimony to him of the  truthfulness   of the Gospel.  I told him that God didn't take away our problems he just gave us the strength to be able to endure them.  He is a light in a dark world.  And that EVERYONE needs the gospel in their lives if they want to be truly happy.  I think  he will get baptized if he can stop smoking.  The cigarette packages here have a large sign on the front of them and in big bold letters it says "Causes Death"

NO LEFT TURN really means No Left Turn!!

So if you make an illegal left turn in Portugal you get a really buff policia at your car window.  Yes, Dad is a lawbreaker.  He made a left turn into a parking lot and got a tap on the window.  Uh! Oh!
So he talks humbly to the officer who was about to let him off when his partner sees that the insurance sticker on the window expired in March.  UH OO!  So a riot van with three other officers pulls up behind the car and they tell Dad he can't drive anywhere without insurance.  Dad is frantically calling the Mission office and finally gets a missionary who doesn't know much but tells dad he will find out.  So while, we are waiting the two missionary sisters have to go to the train since we are obviously not going to be able to deliver them to the city they need to be in for interviews with the President of the Mission.  The Police have called in the car and their records don't show insurance for the car.  Then Dad finally gets a call back from the Mission office stating that the car does have insurance but in the confusion of splitting the mission and transfers the documentation had been left in the file.  We needed to get the email with the certificate but couldn't get into the church since the sisters with the keys left on the train.  Finally they give Dad permission to go to a local internet cafe to get the email and print the copy and take it to the policia.  The police were very nice the whole time and Dad actually enjoyed that part of it. And boy were they muscley.
Dad asked them about their training and they told him they take a physical test and if they don't pass they are out.  Then they take another type of test and if they don't pass they can never try again.  It appears to be a pretty good job.  One of the officers tapped Dad on his Missionary badge and said " I guess this means that I won't get into heaven."  Dad laughed and told him oh yes you will,  you'll just have to repent a little. All in a days work here in the Mission Field.