He IS a God of MIRACLES!!!! 080816

Aloha Família!!!

I just gotta say that I've been sooo humbled by this week. God has been helping us out tons, and I'm sooo grateful because I totally know that without His help, it totally wouldn't work out.

Elder Nunes, Henrique, Fernanda, and Me

First of all...............BATISMOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sooooooo happy!!! Fernanda and Henrique were baptized this past Sunday right after church!!! MIRACLES!!! They don't know how to read, and have some difficulties understanding stuff, but God totally blessed them and helped them understand what we were trying to teach them.

During the week we were trying to teach them tithing and it just wasn't sinking in. They were open to paying it, and had no issues with it, but they didn't understand the concept of 10 percent. We tried soooo many different ways but nothing worked. They were just like, "Tell me how much to pay!" I was like I'm trying!!! Finally, me and Elder Nunes decided to pray for the Spirit, for us and them, and then taught it again just with ten coins....and they got it!!! Well mostly, haha. They understood the 1 out of ten, which is what we were trying for. I was soo grateful for His help.

We were also praying tons that they could remember what we'd taught them, and so that if they were truly ready, they could pass their interviews and be baptized. They totally passed!!! I was sooo happy! I was like wow, miracles!!! It's not that I didn't think they could pass, but them passing was proof that God really was helping us out, because I know that none of us would have gotten to that point without His help.

The LDS Chapel. It is not common for the church to have their
own buildings here in Portugal. Usually they rent buildings, or
any space they can find to use for meetings.

Right after the interviews as I was getting ready to leave, a married couple walks in. I was just like they must be some members visiting from out of town and they wanna know when church is but NOPE! They're non-members looking to have God play a bigger role in their lives. They were like, "Yeah how do we come to church and stuff", and I was like WAT?!?! I was blown away. I was sooo grateful that He was trusting me enough with these two people to place them in our path. AND THEY DID GO TO CHURCH AND LOVED IT!!!

The baptism went down super smooth. I baptized Fernanda and Elder Nunes baptized Henrique. I kept forgetting her full name, so I kept having to do the prayer again. Then when I got her name, I started forgetting the prayer. Then I got that part all down and I went to baptize her and she just wasn't cooperating!!! sigh...Elder Nunes ended up jumping in and holding her legs down as I dunked her haha. Henrique was like 2 shakes pau.

Afterward as we were changing Henrique kept saying how he felt soo good and clean and that was just a real testimony builder as to the work were doing here.

Our Baptismal Font

I'm sooo grateful for the opportunity I have here to serve and help these people come unto Christ and I know that it will make a difference in their lives if they let it. I know that we, the missionaries, are just tools in God's hands, and when we accept that and just trust in Him and work hard, He blesses us and helps us have success.

Side thoughts:

Smoke from a local brush fire turns the sun RED

This week has been CRAZY HOT!!! I FEEL LIKE IM COOKING IN MY OWN SWEAT!!! It's pretty ridiculous. Usually the wind makes it better, but the wind is just as hot and dry and makes it worse.

I think we're having a brushfire nearby someplace, and so the sky is just filled with smoke. It looks like clouds and makes the sun look red. That's one of the pics I took.

I started doing video journal entries, cuz I haven't been doing too good with writing in my journal in a while. It seems to work out. The only problem I'm having is that I can't send them to you guys cuz the files are too big. Please advise.

Anyway I love you guys sooo much!!! Bros and sis you guys look sharp in your polo ʻulaʻula!!! Represente! Keep up the good work in school, and sports, and church!!! I love you guys!!!

com amor,

Élder Kim

ps. I found the Uncle Doug Sr. of Póvoa!!! He's a fisherman and he's just too funny!!! Life is black and white to him; I LOVE HIM!!! Example: talking about the word of wisdom. Teacher says that we can drink coke. He's like "No, no can". Teacher is like "yeah, can, it's all good, church says it our choice". He's like "yeah it my choice to keep the law of chastity or not as well!" Oldschool, gotta love it. There was also an Uncle Doug Sr. of Aveiro who was a mason as well before time. Gotta love these guys!!!

(Some other pictures Elder Kim sent)

A park in Povoa de Varzim, where we catch the bus

The old people like to come to this park, to feed the pigeons.
The pigeons are almost tame!! You can walk right up to them!

A statue at the end of the park.

The soccer field where we played with
the kids last week. It is called
Praceta de Paz.

While Povoa is a modern town, there are many
areas where the farmlands and the city meld
into each other. We saw these sheep huddled up while
tracting. It was a very windy day!!