great members and elders in Beja

Saturday we drove to Beja which is 1 1/2 hours from Loule to deliver a chocolate birthday cake to Elder Jimanez as Sister Roberts makes one for each missionary on ther birthday. The branch there was going to have a barbeque for him on Sunday after church but when they heard we were coming to attend their branch counsel they changed the barbeque to after the counsel meeting. IThe members here treat us like roayalty and we are jsut overwhelmed  form this. This was a great day and lots of fun for us and them. Elder Jimanez ask sister Roberts to please save the cake so he could just take it home and he and his companion could eat it. The cake in the picture the branch had made for him.

We dug right in to this cake.

All of us!

His companion, Elder Yancy taking a memory

Churches here rarely have anything like a cultural hall so they just set up a few tables in the foyer.

They made sure Sister Roberts had a seat.  They just love her

The Branch President and others cooked the meat outside the chapel.

Pday in Loulé

Hi Al

We spent a wonderful P Day yesterday walking around Loule'  We peeked into a few little shops.  We were looking for slippers and did find some.  I also found a soft comfy robe.  We had keys made so that I have a set too.  We found an indoor farmers market/flea market that is cool.  Dad was feeling a little bit dumpy so we took it easy for the rest of the day.  Today he woke up feeling great.  We went today to our district meeting in Faro (yes is is pronounced Far-O) The Elders live right across the street from us so they ride with us (it's about a 1/2 hour away) One of them is a sweet, humble young man who is the district leader.  We always conclude our meetings singing Called to Serve - in Portuguese of course (yes I know all the words) It is a rousing rendition and there is a shout that they do in the middle.  We didn't get to work with the Single Young Adults but in a way we did.  We drive the Missionaries to appointments that are far away.  One set of elders walked 8 miles to visit a couple.  We took them once and they weren't home or at least didn't answer the door. We sometimes take missionaries to the dr. We do all we can to help them out so we really are working with single young adults and they are magnificent!

I am so grateful for the Lords hand in my life and with helping us on this mission.  Sometimes it is very hard, whether physically or mentally but in hindsight we can always see the gifts the Lord has given us and the way he has helped us.  

I'm grateful to know that we lived in Heaven before we were born and that we longed to progress and have a body like Heavenly Father.  I'm grateful for the plan of Happiness God presented to us whereby we could come to Earth and grow and progress and be tested and return again to live with him in a perfect resurrected body ( That sounds great right now!)  I'm grateful that the Sealing power was restored so that our families can be together forever.  I love the Book of Mormon.  AND I Love and Miss my Family!  I'm grateful for Skype, email, Google Hangouts etc.  Thank all of you for your prayers and your love 

Just helping out!

This week we have spent lots of time on medical issues.  Who would have thought about missionaries being sick.  We had one Elder who we think had a reaction to his malaria shot but is now doing well.  We had another who thought he had a fungus growing onhis foot but it turned out that when his sox got wet they dyed the callous a kind of hinky purple to pinkshade.  All is well with him.  We have a sister with some gynecological problems (enough said) comingup.  And we have an Elder with foot pain who needs an x-ray andacat scan.  The insurnce company only wants to schedule these one at a time so I have been jumping through hoops to get it all done.  
Meanwhile, Sister Tavares had scheduled a tonsilectomy for an elder who has been suffering for months and feeling lousy.  We were asked to go to Lisbon and stay in the mission home as Pres.Tavares and her were due in the acores (Azores) for a zone conference.  While they were in our area last week for a zone conference she got several calls about a Sister who apparently had appendicitis and needed immediate surgery.  So she and her husband left our conference a little bit early so she could be here with this sister.  We arrived on Thursday and were taking care of the sister and yesterday Elder Roberts took the elder to the hospital for his tonsilectomy.  He was scheduled to be there at 2;00 with surgery at 4:00. He actually got taken to the operating room at 9:30.  He got out at about 10:30.  Elder Roberts didn't get back to the mission home until midnight after having gotten lost in Lisbon twice.  He didn't have keys to the mission home or the gate so I had to wait up for him.  Our Elder came to the Mission home today and  both he and Sister are doing very well.  Jello in the fridge.Ice Cream too. Sister Tavares, who is a mother hen, is probably flying back from the Azores today because she can't stand being away from her missionaries when they need her.  We will be here until Sunday then return to Loule. This morning when ElderRoberts left the alarm went off.  I didn't know what to do so I started punching buttons....President Tavares got a call from the police.  Luckily they didn't come here. All for now. MOM

The Lord loves us so He gives us Prophets, just like days of old

This last week we traveled to Lisboa to stay in the mission home to hear Elder David A.Bednar speak to the missionaries.  All the missionaries were told that they could ask aquestion of Elder Bednar, but not stupid questions like ẁhere is the sword of Laban?´
His plane was late due to fog and so we had the opening song andprayer without him and then he and others with him arrived.  He was so powerful.  He spoke to each of the missionaries as they asked their questions and addressed them individually.  He said we need more doing and less talks about doing and meetings about doing. As you can imagine it was a very great blessing to be in a sacrament  size meeting with an apostle of the Lord.  They had to leave before the closing prayer and song in order to make their next meeting and as they cme down the isle from several rows away he looked me in the eyes and when he got to me he shook my hand, and took and extra minute and looked deep into my eyes,then he quickly shook hands with the  other senior missionaries in our row.
The next day was the leadership training for all the stake and zone leaders, which meant dad.  The sisters were in another room with Sister Bednar.  She is a darling, very down to earth woman with a great capacity for loving people.  Elder Bednar interrupted our meeting to say hello and he told of Sister Bednars quiet service in the behind the scenes things and again he looked me right in the eyes as he was saying this.  As you know at times I have been frustrated that I am not able to do enough here because of lthe language barrier but in that moment I knew that I am doing just what I should be doing and helping in ways that I can.  He touched my heart that day and I felt like my service is accepted.
President and Sister Tavares invited us to stay an extra day and go to the meeting on Sunday when the local missionaries would be there and Elder Johnson and his wife would address us (He is in the area presidency). We had a great time with Elder and Sister Tavares.  She loved my chocolate cake the last time was there and I made it with her watching and taking notes but she couldn´t get it to turn out so (she made it 3 times and the housekeeper made it 5 times).  So we made the cake again.  This time I watched  Sister Tavares make it.  It turned out great.  She was very happy.  So was I because she had called me several times to tell me she couldn´t make it andI was wracking my brain to try to figure out what she wasn´t doing.  Anyway - Success! We ran into Azelia, the housekeeper at the Sunday meeting and Sister Tavares told her of making the cake and Azelia said with a big smile, Oh good now you can teach me!  It was a wonderful weekend and the Tavares have invited us to come çup early next time to see some things in Lisboa.
One other thing happened as we were driving home from the Sunday meeting.  Sister Tavares had just told us that we were going to go home and eat and then we would need to rest before our journey back to loulé.  She got an email from her son that said he had a dream that they were in a meeting of about 1500 or more people and they were with another missionary couple and a General Authority  and as we left Sister Tavares said to the missionary couple ' ẁe are going home to eat and then rest.  It was exactly what had happened.  Elder Roberts thought it was a joke at first then was so amazed.  He took it very seriously and very unlike him, he took the time to take a nap before we drove home.  I had no feelings about it at all. But Elder Roberts decided that he should take a nap before leaving. So we stayed and then went home safely. The next day Presidente Tavares called to apologize for his sons hoax.  President Tavares phone had apparently called his son and the son heard the conversation we were having.  He thought it would be funny to tease his mother so he called her to give her the story of his "dream." The Tavares' were so embaressed but we just thought it was funny. I am so thankful for this great opportunity.  Love and health to you all
MOM, Kathleen , Gramma Kathee