A Chance for Service

It was abeautiful thing today as we drove to another town to help a woman from our branch to clean her parents home that she now owns, so it could be rented out.  She had no trouble asking us and the missionaries to help her and when we got ready to go she had two other friends with her.  We drove there and the missionaries were put to work pulling a bunch of weeds and clearing large containers that were stacked near the house. I went upstairs (outside stairs) where there was a bedroom and just outside was a bathroom.  I cleaned the bedroom while my friend scrubbed the bathroom from the ceiling to the floor.  The lady and her other friend were joined by her brother who was painting a bathroom downstairs.  When I had finished the bedroom I went downstairs and helped polish some wood furniture, doors and cleaned the dining room, then started on the kitchen. The lady had brought cookies and sandwiches for all of us to eat.  Here´s a funny thing.  A sandwich here consists of two pieces of sourdough bread, thick, and a piece of cheese.  Or a piece of meat.  No mayo, no lettuce, no tomatoe.  Just the bread and the cheese or meat.  The other thing that struck me was that this woman didn´t hesitate to ask and none thought anything of going to help a friend clean a house so she could rent it and get money.  She is their friend so they are glad to do it.  It was a beautiful thing!!

Helder and Tania

In November the Elders started teaching a young couple named Helder (pronounced elder) and Tania (pronounced Tanya) They have a son Diogo and a baby under a year named Martins.  The elders allowed us to help teach this sweet couple and we watched as they embraced the gospel.  When they set a date to get married Tania was like a little girl.  She cried then after that she giggled.  In later times when we taught her it seemed like she wasn't sure that it would ever happen.  They are very poor.  Helder has been out of work for a long time and has been unable to find work.  The family was about to have their water turned off and also be evicted from the tiny, fridgid apartment they were living in. Tania was very worried about that.  So, we paid this off for them and they found a smaller, albeit warmer apartment - By small I mean that their kitchen would fit in my master bath  and each of the two bedrooms had room for only two beds.  They were so happy with the new apartment and the fact that Tania had found a job starting this coming week which gave her Sunday and Monday off.  This is unheard of in Portugal - but they had lots of prayers and the Lord recognized their need.  They continued to learn the gospel and each time they were asked to do something they happily said they would.  And they did. As they made plans to get married they were worried about the $120.00 the government charges to get married and how they would ever get that kind of money. Someone gave them $100.00.  Not all of it but most of it, because it wouldn't have any value it they didn't work for it.  Anyway Helder called the missionaries to tell them he finally had his 20.00 and so we began planning the wedding.  We were asked to be their witnesses and went to the registry to show our papers and they the government gave them a date that they could come in and get married.  The date was the same date that the Elders had originally given them as a goal date to get married two months previously. It usually takes much longer to schedule a date for marriage so we were very excited that this could happen just a week after they signed up.
    When we first talked about getting married Tania had said that she always wanted to get married in a white dress..  The elder who was teaching the lesson told her the important thing was to be married. No matter what she wore..  However, I couldn''t get that out of my mind.  We talked it over and asked them for sizes and went shopping .  Now, the problem is Tania wears a 13-14 in girls sizes..
We went to Portamao to a shopping center there.  We looked and looked and     couldn´t find anything that remotely was a dress let alone a white dress. I had previously seen a knitted dress on a maniquin in another town and that vision kept coming to mind. Finally, we stopped at the top of the escalator and had a quick prayer telling Heavenly Father how much it would mean to Tania to have a white dress in which to get married, and would He please help us to find something she would like.  We got on the escalator and walked into a childrens store where I walked over to a rack that had white showing and pulled out almost the exact dress that I kept picturing in my mind. We found tights to match, a camisole, and Dad found the cutest boots. i picked up a pearl necklace and a flower for her hair. She giggled and was so cute when we gave her these few things.
    Today we met Tania and Helder at the registrars office along with the sisters, the elders, and their branch President.  We waited in a reception area with lots of desks and secretaries and were finally called into a room where we all sat around a table while a woman read over the prepared documents left the room to put a seal on the paper and gave it to them. They were married.

and the next day they were baptized:

The Language Barrier

We have been going with the local missionaries to teach CTMM, which is basically to train them how to give a Book of Mormon to their friends.  It is a great program and has been welcomed by many of our members.  On Monday, January the 11 we had an appointment with several families to have Family Home Evening (Noite Familiar) and dinner.  It is always a fun time with this group and we look forward to it every time.  However, the local missionaries were called to Lisbon so they asked us to teach in their place at another home.  I usually understand most of what is being said in appointment conversations but I totally missed this one.  This lady had previously given her friend a Book of Mormon and she was coming for a lesson.  She wasn't there when we got there and we had dinner and then everyone got up and put their coats on so I thought we were going to her house to give her the lesson and I had just misunderstood.  Boy had I!
   We drove for a long time. Dad said it wasn't that far but Portugal's tiny streets at night make it seem much farther than it is.  We arrived and parked near a large Catholic Church,no big deal as they are everywhere.  We then walked across the courtyard and behind the church where a group of women stood near another woman who was crying and acting like she was going to faint. Remember we have signs on our chest that tell who we are and we did get some looks.   Our member, Odelia, walked up to her and kissed her and greeted her and talked for a minute.  Dad and I waited.  Then Odelia led us to a door in the building.  When I walked in this small room there was a casket with four large lit candlesticks surrounding it.  We stood there while Odelia went over to the casket and lifted the handkerchief over the face of the dead woman.  I was thinking I do not want to do that. I checked and no one was in front of the door thinking I could mark a run for it (albeit slow).  We then sat down in chairs amid a few stairs and waited while Odelia spoke with the grieving woman who had come in from the outside.  We sat there nearly an hour.  Dad had no idea that I had not understood a thing before. When everyone started leaving we finally got up.  I noticed a chest across the room with paper flowers in it and a sign that said 50 centavos.  You buy these paper flowers and put them in the coffin..  After everyone else had left Odelia wrote in the book of remembrance they had in the windowsill and beckoned us to come write in the book also.  We each just signed our names and followed the woman who had lost her 80 year old mother outside.  Odelia went to say good bye and we sort of hung back then Odelia told us we needed to say goodbye to her which means again kissing  the cheeks of some woman I have never met and saying something appropriate.  So I did and after we dropped Odelia off at her apartment I told Dad what I had and had not understood and we had a good laugh. Though it didnˋt seem very funny at the time.

Amazing Gratitude

About a month ago we had the opportunity to teach a young married couple. His name is 

Beeky and her name is Sheeska. Not very Portuguese because they are from Nepal. Nepal has a very depressed economy and it is almost impossible to find a descent job.  It is not easy to leave Nepal but about two years ago they with some friends were able to leave and they went to the Netherlands for about a year but were unable to find descent work so they came to Portugal. They speak fairly good english and hardly any Portuguese but they are trying to learn. One of there good friends named Narayen was baptized in Faro about the same time we had the opportunity to teach them. Shortly thereafter they move to an area about 20 minutes from Faro.  The Elders lost track of them and tried to call them but never recieved and answer. They had just about given up and then last night their appointments fell through and they had the impression to call Beeky and he answered the phone and said he was so glad to hear from them. They have moved twice and had been working long hours and hadn't been able to get back to the elders. We went with the Elders to visit them and here is what we found. This young couple lives with 6 other young people from Nepal some of which speak neither Portugues or English and have to rely of Beeky and Sheeska to tell them what to do at work. They share one kitchen which is the size of  the master bathroom in our house and one bathroom which we didn't see. There is one bedroom and a living room. They share the bedroom with two of their friends and the other 4 sleep in what would be a living room. We retaught them about the restoration and the need for bapism and they said they understood but that baptism was going to be a very important step for them and they would not do it unless they could live the commandments and attend church. They said they hoped things would change for the better for them after March and the Elders could teach them again at that time. Each of them said a prayer, Beeky at the beginning and Sheeska at the end. Heres the punch line. In their prayers each of them thanked the Lord for all that they had, the food to eat, work to do, each other, the roof over their heads and the friends that they have. Then they each thanked Heavnly Father that the Eldes did not forget them because of the good feelings when the Elders teach them. They asked for blessings for their friends  the Elders Your mother and I and that they could continue to have peace in their lives and that the world might be a more peaceful place. Beeky asked that he might have his good wife with him for always. 

      Please be grateful each day, we have been given so much and there are those in the world with so little but they have great faith and humble gratitude for all things in their lives. 

  We love you all and are so grateful each day for you're goodness and all the blessings that Heavenly Father has poured out upon us. Love Elder and Sister Roberts

  

Ups and downs!!!

It has ben abit slow for the past couple of daysbut we got great news earlier this week when we found out our local missionaries Elder Thomas and Elder Souza will be here another six weeks.  We have become very attached to them and it will be hard when they do transfer out.  
We had a wonderful answer to our prayers when Helder (prounounced Elder) called to say that he had come up with the money to get married so that he and Tania could get baptized.  It costs 120 Euros if you are lucky enough to have been born here.  Much more if you are not a native or if you want to get married on a weekend.  Helder is only working part time and Tania just started working part time also.  They have three children. Their oldest daughter doesn´t live with them.  She lives with an aunt. The next boy is seven and they have a baby under a year.  They moved here from Lisboa to find work thinking it would be better. In any case Helder came up with the 20 euros (someone else donated the 100- hmmm) and now our prayers have been answered. They are such a sweet family and Tania was so cute and smiley when we first talked to them about getting married and the Lords law of Chastity. We will go to the wedding and the baptism.  
   We have been going to member homes to teach how to hold Family Home Evening and also how to share your testimony of the Book of Mormon.  I have read the Book of Mormon three times since I have been here and I love it more each time.  The first thing I noticed is the peace I feel when I read it.  And my day always seems to be in order when I start with this reading.  Also when I am frustrated with my language studies It helps me to focus again.
   We just found out that the elders in the office in Lisbon FINALLY got our package out of customs.  It has been there for three weeks.  Elder Roberts was just about to call Sister Tavares because they had been so lax in getting it.  Now it has to sit there until someone goes up there and comes back down here.  Our zone leader has been there twice since Christmas but they haven´t gotten it yet.  His Christmas packsage is there too.  GRRRR 20 year olds.  Anyway we should have it next week.
   Elder Roberts is like a caged Tiger whenwe don´t have anything to do and we haven´t for the last two days. He watched a video of other missionaries talking about how busy they are and he gets frustrated.  We can´t really visit people in the afternoon as no one is home. Usually we are busy but we have gone two days.  However in all fairness he was pretty trashed from a headache he had in the night so it is really good that he could rest a bit.  Heś great again and chomping at the bit to get back to work 

Elder Rylee Turner

Dear Elder Turner,

  I was thinking about you last night and thought you may have left the MTC by now.  We are six months into our mission now and have begun to really love it.  However, that being said we do have some really down days.  Me especially, struggling with the language.  I keep thinking I want to teach and testify but I am so limited in what I actually can say.  In any case we have had some wonderful experiences with many great people.  We have been teaching the members how to give a Book of Mormon to their friends ( called CTMM). About putting a picture in the front cover and a testimony, marking significant scriptures and telling the friend how much the book means in your life.  It is great to see these members some converts of only a few years grasp the concept and be so willing to share with their friends. Even the teens agree to give a book to a friend.  One little branch had their elders teaching 14 people because of member referrals. Our baptisms have been slow and our mission pres is frustrated but I think that in awhile the Book of Mormon will bear precious fruit and we will have the baptisms that we want.

Elder Roberts is the President of the small branch here besides being a missionary so he is busy as usual.  They say if you really want something done ask a busy man.  That is him.  I so enjoy the young missionaries and have made several feasts to celebrate holidays etc.  We try to take them on a small trip to see local sights if we can and that too has been fun.  

I am a convert to the church as you probably know and so I understand the difficulties that go along with that.  But, I am so grateful that I found the church, or it found me.  Because I was invited to Primary I am here.  My father and my brother both died of alcoholism so who knows where I would have been if the Lord had not found me.  Every person you teach is important.  Try to look at them and see them the way their mother sees them, then imagine Heavenly sees so much more in them.  

I am so proud of you Rylee, and grateful that you are not only serving your Heavenly Father but you too, are becoming a better person. I wish you all the best and look forward to sharing stories in the future.

Love,

Sister Roberts