Shoes

My shoes are beginning to disintegrate

Generally here, we have visitors from the United States that come to church. It's always good when someone visits. It's fun talking to them about where they are from, why they are here, where they served a mission. It was really cool this week because we ran into a missionary that served here 25 years ago. None of the members remembered him (It's great to know that my work will never be in vain *cough* *cough* lol) but he remembered them and the work that he put in here to help them. He talked with us about how it was then. When he served, there was a district in the Alentejo (the middle of evora) and they had 5 missionary companionships when he was here. The town is really small.  I have no idea how they managed to have 5 but they did. Now there is no Alentejo District but Évora is apart of the Sétubal Stake and there is only one companionship here. Interesting differences.

I have been here so long on that my shoes are beginning to disintegrate. There is a giant old hole in one of them and it rained this week. My foot got soaked. It was a very pleasant experience.

We visited a Less-Active who has a couple of kids. Her name is Sonia. She has 3 kids, Marianna 18, Richardo 9 and Leonardo 10. She wants her kids to go to church. They haven't been going because no one has talked with them in a while to see why they haven't been going. We had tried to visit serval times but they were never home. Now we are going to visit a couple more times and this next week we'll try to get them to church.

Élder Fogg

Lisbon and Setúbal this week

We went to Lisbon and Setúbal this week. I had to renew my residency card here in Portugal because I was illegal. Now I am legal again! Woo but that meant that Spees and I had to go to Lisbon. Because Evora is so far away from everything, we left a day before and got back about the same time we left the day before. We also had Zone conference this week in Setúbal and the same thing happened. We had a very broken week. It was hard to make progress but we did our best. 

 

This week in my studies I focused on the What? the Why? and the How? in the missionary lessons (plan of salvation and the Restoration). I was trying to teach simpler. Looking through these lenses at the lessons really brings out the basic doctrines and shows what people really need to know. The gospel is simple and true. 

Élder Fogg

Q&A - with Elder Fogg

I received a couple of letters from home and seeing that there is a little confusion as to what I was doing here on the mission I have decided to do a Question and Answer session. (please remember that this is a joke, based very loosely on questions that may or may not have been received).

Question: Where are you serving? 

Answer: I know it's hard to remember sometimes, sometimes I don't even remember. I am serving in Sião o novo Jerusalém (Zion the new Jerusalem), some people mistakenly think that that's Jackson County Missouri but no. It's actually Lisbon, Portugal.
 

Question: Where is Portugal?

Answer: As Gob Bluth put it from Arrested Development  ''Portugal ... Going to live it up down ol’ South America way, huh, Mikey?'' Contrary to popular belief, Portugal isn't actually a South American country, neither central nor northern American either. They don't even like Americans. It actually is European. Next to Spain.
 

Question: So it's a province of Spain? 

Answer: No, Spain has it's own  government and language. Portugal has a government that is  completely different and a language that Spaniards don't even understand.
 

Question: So they speak Spanish?

Answer: There is a language in this world that is literally called PORTUGUESE. It's actually one of the most spoken languages in the world spanning many continents, cultures and people.
 

Question: ''Are you excited to come home in October''

Answer: OK, wow, I am trying to focus as a missionary on missionary stuff and missionary things being very missionary-y. Gosh. I can neither confirm nor deny these allegations. Let me answer your question with a question, where is Kolob? (I don't know)
 

It was great responding to your questions. If you guys have any other questions that you like to have responded feel free to send them and I'll do (as DJ Khaled would say) another one.
 

Élder Fogg

Pics from Evora

Pics from Amadora

President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet

I know that President Russell M. Nelson is a prophet. I downloaded and listened to all his available talks that he gave at the BYU and some given in General Conference. It is interesting to see how the Lord has prepared him to be a prophet. Here are 3 examples:

1. Standing for what's right: He was working at a very prestigious hospital for a very prestigious doctor. He was at the annual Christmas party. As usual, alcoholic beverages were being served. He declined when offered. The head surgeon was infuriated and vowed to make his life horrible for the next year. He replied «Do what you must Doctor and I'll do what I must». He made the next year horrible for Pres Nelson. He had no vacation, the worst hours but it was worth it because he lived and followed the commandments of God.

2. The family: President Nelson is a great example for us youth today in our lives with his family. Just because he was a busy surgeon he did not put off his duties as a father. He has 10 children (9 girls and 1 son).  He raised that family while studying and trying to get his degree. That is an example that we need as young members of the church that it's still needed to have a family and education.

3. Faith: When he was still a young surgeon with his family, there was change in the stake presidency. He was interviewed by President Spencer W Kimball. In the Interview President Kimball said «Brother Nelson, everyone says you're the right man for the job, but they say you just don't have the time because of your job. Do you have the time?». President Nelson responded in the way that we should respond in times when we are tested. «I don't know about that but I have the faith». He was chosen as the stake president and served dedicatedly for many years.

The Lord has been preparing president Nelson for many years and now he is our prophet.

 

Elder Francis is dying and now I will be receiving elder Spees here in Evora. He is a friend of mine. We actually met each other before the mission at BYU. And now we will be mission companions.