Portuguese Bean Soup for the Soul: Povoa de Varzim 9/12/16

Boa tarde Família!

This week seems to have passed by faster than usual. Feels like just the other day I sat down to email you guys and here I am again.

Well this past week was the last week of my 5th transfer. I am officially in my 6th transfer!!! Can't believe it! I actually made 8 months on a mission a week or two ago! It's incredible how much has changed. I feel like 8 months ago was a different me. I can't even imagine 2 years! It's such a strong testimony of how God changes and shapes our lives so that we become the best we can be especially when we are in His service.

Got to see my trainer, Elder Meza, at the conference

This week our mission had a mission tour by Elder Zwick of the 70. It was AWESOME!!! We had a conference with him on Tuesday and then another one for the leaders on Thursday. It was super cool! During both conferences I felt the Spirit present confirming what he was saying and confirming things that I had been thinking about. The major lesson that I learned was that even in the hard times you gotta keep going. We are His tools through which He works His work and miracles, but He can't do anything through us if we aren't doing anything. We have to be obedient. Rules are blessings, and sacrifices are investments in the future. Put everything you got on the altar of sacrifice, hold nothing back.

I feel like I already knew all this stuff before, but it felt like I relearned it at the conferences. It seemed to go deeper. It all seemed to make more sense. Learning by the Spirit is way better than just understanding it mentally.

Elder Zwick shared some cool experiences from his mission too. He served in the Argentina North mission. Richard G Scott was his mission president. In his mission he was called to open the work in the country of Bolivia. He and 3 other elders bought 4 donkeys, caught a train to the end of the line, then hiked for a couple days into Bolivia. There they constructed a chapel. There were exactly 0 members. For 11 months they worked with 0 baptisms. Word of wisdom was a problem, because nobody had clean drinking water and so everyone drank alcohol (fermented corn kine). They had to dig a well to provide clean water for the area. After 11 months of working, they had their first baptism meeting. 500 PEOPLE WERE BAPTIZED!!! It took 3 DAYS TO BAPTIZE THEM ALL!!! They also had a few hundred more baptisms in others cities they had been working in!!! Miracles!!! Work with all your heart, might mind and soul, for tomorrow the Lord will bless you.

Because we've been in and out of Porto we haven't had a really good week numbers wise. Our investigator dropped us. We went over to his house and basically he told us he didn't want us coming over any more. We tried to understand what was going on and help him change his mind but he wasn't having it. We were super sad. This was Fernando who came to church this past week.

Manuel and Elder Kim

On a happier note, Manuel, who's from Cabo Verde, came to church!!! He's been talking to the elders for the last 10 plus years and the last time he came to church was in 2006!!! I had the thought to call him on Sunday morning to invite him to church and he came!!! We're hoping to help him progress, and be baptized!

Other than that it's been a rather okay week. Not too sweet, not too rancid but just right! haha. We get transfers tomorrow so well see what happens. I'm getting the feeling that some changes are coming our way so I'll let you guys know how it goes next week.

I love you, family!!! Bros and Sis, keep up the great work with sports and school and church!!! Mom, Dad, I love you!!! I'm sooo grateful for your choice to raise us in this gospel and that we our an eternal family! Keep up the great work! Thank you sooo much for the emails!!! Happy to hear you got my card, and I hope you like the pics!!! Ficam firmes!!!

com amor,

Elder Kim