Portuguese Bean Soup for the Soul: Coimbra 11/28/2016

Elder Kim with snow

Aloha Família!

I’m still alive!!! It’s been getting colder here, but it’s been great!

Elder Bartolo eating snow

We started this week by going to AVEIRO!!! THE HOMELAND!!! When we got there, there were snow patches on the ground!!!! I was like WAT?!?!?! So that was super cool! We went and visited the district meeting and then did a division. I ended up staying in Aveiro for the day. I described it like this in my planner "Coming back to Aveiro is weird. I am Aveiro B, I made it, but it’s not mine anymore. Everything, everyone, and everywhere is basically the same except that I’m not the same. I know it can never be how it was, and I’m pretty sure this is how it’ll feel like going home." We were able to find this Chinese lady, which is funny seeing as my first investigator was Chinese, and my last in Aveiro was also Chinese. I had to go over some rules with the Elders of that house, but all in all it worked out really nice. I love Aveiro!!!

Elder Kim with Felipi and Family

I was also able to make it to Felipi’s house!!! Shout out to Felipi!!! I love them sooo much! I look up a lot to them!!! They helped to "raise" me here on the mish, and I am super grateful for their great examples, as members, as parents and as return missionaries! They are family for sure!!!

Lucinda, Leonel, Elder Bartolo,
and Elder Kim

That older couple we found last week, we were able teach them a couple more times and their cool!!! Leonel and Lucinda are an older couple who have been married for 50 years!!! They have strong faith in Jesus Christ and are getting ready to be baptized on the 10th! They even went to church!!! It was cool cuz when we went back to their house the other day they were asking all kinds of questions about the their baptism so we’re super excited for them!

Elder Kim, dressed for the cold

Sexta-feira, Friday, was kind of rough. Elder Bortolo locked our keys in our house by accident, then like all our plans fell, and nobody wanted to talk to us, and it had been raining all day so it was junk. I was a little upset but we stuck it out and kept going. We felt we weren’t doing something wrong. So right then and there, we stopped, said a prayer, asking forgiveness and guidance. We received the impression to keep knocking the building we were in. So we kept going, and we found this super cool lady!!! I know that God is at the helm, that He guides us, and that we are just tools in His hands. I am so grateful for this humbling example of persevering and prayer.

Elder Bartolo, dressed for the cold

That night we stayed at the other Elders house, Elder Teixeira and Elder Maloy. It was super good to be able to hang out with them! I really love those guys!

On Sunday after a great church with Leonel and Lucinda, we had lunch with Irmão Elídio and his family! It was soooo good! I think that was my first member meal here in Coimbra, and it was great! What was even better was that Irmão Elídio served his mission here in Porto, so was cool to talk story with him, and his wife served in England so she speaks English and is super funny!

funny stuff of the week:

Elder Teixeira: "I dont make poop, I make dollars"

"Não é de sua conta palhaço" (basically: what does it matter to you clown. haha)