From Portugal With Love: September 22, 2013

Time is racing by. We had a busy week at the office. Many of our participants have loans which are still located in other countries. At times we contact them to see if they would like to move them to Europe. Some want them left in their original country because a family member is paying it. I contacted a young man from Venezuela this week and he said he wanted the loan moved and then he is going to pay it off. We told him if he paid it off in one payment he could deduct 10 percent and his response was that he wants to pay the entire balance. We have had several who have paid off their loans recently, including some who hadn’t paid anything for a long time.

There is one couple, and perhaps a second, who are trying to get their callings changed from Brazil to Portugal because they have been waiting so long for Visas. They have been trained with PEF and the new Self-Reliance program and have been spending their time at the Church Office Building in SLC. We are hopeful that they will be able to come and take our place and help out in this mission, as they are badly needed here.

Elder and Sister Johnson invited us for dinner last evening. They had some things happen and she didn’t have time to prepare the meal she had planned, so they took us out to dinner instead. We really enjoyed our evening with them. They took us to see several sites and we had a nice visit. After dinner we went back to their apartment for dessert. We are sad that they will be going home in about a month. We have at least one trip planned with them in a few weeks and we want to take them out to dinner before they leave.

I am preparing for a spiritual thought for our devotional tomorrow morning and a talk in Sacrament Meeting next Sunday. My talk subject is Teaching Children in the Home, so if anyone has any great ideas you are invited to pass them along to me. I have my ideas mostly prepared, but can always use help. Mike was asked to give the 5^th-Sunday lesson next week, along with the class he gives each week for the investigators and new members.

Joseph Smith was taught from his youth the ways of the Lord. When asked how he led the Church, he explained that he taught correct principles and the members governed themselves. Our living apostles and prophets are still teaching correct principles. The question is : Are we using these principles to govern ourselves? General Conference is coming up soon and I hope that we will all take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to hear the teachings of our prophet and apostles. This is always such a special privilege we have to hear from the Lord through His special witnesses. We love General Conference and don’t want to miss a moment of it.

We send our love to all of our family and friends. You are the best!

Building the scaffolding to paint the apartment next to ours. These young men end up about 12 stories above ground and it seems very frightening to me.