From Portugal With Love: January 13, 2013

After two weeks with holidays we finally had a full week at the office. We were able to get a good start on our contacts for the month. It looks like sometime during the year there will be some changes coming with the Church employees. A few of them may get transferred to Germany. We will be sad to lose any of them, as we have enjoyed our association with each one. We are really hoping that they don’t move Miguel, as he is the person with whom we work most closely. But, they have all been very kind to us and as far as we are concerned, the more the merrier.

I had broken our blender jar when I made zucchini soup a while back by using it to blend the soup when it was too hot, but this week we were able to get a replacement. Thanks to the Church employee who purchased it, it was under warranty and was replaced without charge. But, I will definitely be more careful in the future.

We will be getting a new group of missionaries in this week. Five are delayed because of Visas, but we are starting to receive more Sister missionaries along with the Elders. We have heard that the numbers of missionaries has really increased since the age requirements were lowered for both Elders and Sisters. I think that this was to be expected. I probably would have served a mission if I could have gone at 19 years of age. Speaking of age, a lady investigator was sitting by us in church today and she asked me my age. When I told her 70, she said that I didn’t look it and that I was very well conserved. I thought it was a funny choice of words.

We are hoping that our Elders in Caparica don’t get transferred this week, but we always feel that way. We start thinking that they are part of our ward and don’t want to see them leave. We are starting to get a few more investigators at our meetings, which is wonderful. We will be waiting for a couple of marriages before some of the baptisms can happen. Sometimes we are saddened by our new members. Rui, who was baptized recently and then married to a wonderful member, has decided not to come to church except occasionally to support his wife. This is really sad as he came for quite a while before he was baptized and seemed to be progressing well. Our stake president, who has such a wonderful way with people, is working with him. His wife, Ana, has come without him the last two weeks. We are praying that he will realize what he is missing.
We received some wonderful news this week from Jessica Coito, one of the Coito daughters we taught and baptized when we were on our mission in Chapeco, Brazil. Their family is going on the next caravan to the temple to be sealed. They were at the temple recently to do baptisms, but this will be a very special day for their family and something we have wanted for them since we first met them. We are thrilled.

Jared and Lisa have moved to Bentonville, Arkansas, where he will begin his new job with Walmart on January 28^th. He will be working in their main office in the Information Systems department. Their new address is: 4100 Chasestone Ave. #1, Bentonville, AR 72710. They found a nice duplex with three bedrooms, two baths and a double-car garage. It is not too far from his work. We wish them the best.

Remember that each of you are precious in God’s sight and we love you all—family and friends! We didn’t every get our flu shots this year, so we are glad it hasn’t found us here in Portugal. Our wish for each of you--Health and Happiness.