Elder Parks Layton - Portugal Lisbon Mission

Week 6 January 30, 2018 THE KEYBOARDS ARE WEIRD HERE, I don't know how to work them really. Hey everyone! SORRY, I didn't get any computer time for the last two weeks until now. So that's why I didn't reply or send any weekly email!   Anyways... Last week here in the MTC! It's honestly been such a great time, and I've grown so close to all the people here, especially my district and zone.  I've met so many great people here, some I'll stay in contact for a long time I'm sure! Anyways.... The week started with Jan 23rd, a Tuesday. My companion and I got to teach another skype TRC and it was super hard... I had a hard time I'd say. Then 4'Square came along and I went off, I'm basically the Jordan of 4'Square now. That 4'Square thing leads into a big story which happened the next day. Wednesday was normal until gym at the end of the day. But I'll get there in a bit. Every Wednesday we have to wake u...

Week 5 January 22, 2018 Hey everyone! It's been a great week and I have one more left here at the MTC... Then I'm off to Portugal! So weird to think. Also today marks a month of me being 19, so it's kinda funny to think how fast it's gone. So my week started with January 16th, which was the day President Nelson became the Prophet of our church! It was awesome, they stopped our language classes and we all got to go watch the announcement and the press conference following it. All of us Portuguese speakers felt a strong feeling that Russell M Nelson is 100% a man sent from God. Later that day, Elder Webb and I got to teach a native Portuguese speaker a lesson over Skype which was nerve racking but in the end, really cool because I actually understood her! Ending that day, we had a devotional from Elder Clayton of the 70, and I sat in the very back corner for it... at least I thought I was until the guy who is in charge of seating at the MTC devotionals moved me and...

Week 4 January 15, 2018 Hey everyone! It's been a pretty great week once again! And on Tuesday it makes a full month of being gone... or you could say I'm 1/24 of the way done! Anyways, it's been great and I'll tell you about my week! Started Jan 9th! The day started with Elder Webb and I teaching 4 lessons on the Plan of Salvation, in Portuguese... which is still a grind but the language is definitely coming along. Anyways, we teach these lessons called TRC lessons, which is teaching in Portuguese to a member who speaks Portuguese but they're from Utah. The one guy said we taught with the spirit more than anyone he had ever had and we were ready for the field! Although, most of our success is probably because of Elder Webb! And the night of the 9th we had a Devotional and the speaker was Elder Bednar!! That was so good, and he's an amazing speaker. So that was a great day.  The following day was a Wednesday, and every Wednesday, the MTC gets new miss...

Week 3 January 8, 2018 Hey everyone! This week has been so great! I'm really enjoying my time here. It's actually super fun. Thanks for the emails throughout the week and all the love I've been getting! Well this week started with New Years Eve... which was really eventful. We stayed up all the way until 11:00, so crazy. Hahah, but anyways it was good to start off the New Years on a PDay, and Demar Derozan dropped 52! Anyways, the following day a Sister Missionary in my zone (Sister Burt) was leaving early in the morning for her mission, so we went to an early breakfast to say bye! When we got there, she asked if she could have a blessing, so we went to a room, and I was able to give a blessing of comfort before she left! She's awesome, and after she left we dropped down to only 2 sisters left.  Later that night, we had another Missionary leaving, (Elder Dealba) and he asked if I could join in blessing him as well before he left. So once again, another goodbye.  ...

January 4, 2018 Parks' language teacher, Brother Machado, sent all of the parents of the Elders in his class this video this week with a text saying: "My name is Brother Machado.  I am your sons' teacher at the MTC.  I recorded them saying the First Vision in Portuguese and thought you would appreciate seeing it.  Thanks for sending them!  They are powerful missionaries!!!" The First Vision is Joseph Smith’s account of seeing Heavenly Father and Jesus.   Translated in English they would be saying what Joseph Smith had written:   “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me.   It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing ...

Week 2 January 1, 2018 Hey everyone! This week went so great! Our guy in charge of getting the mail finally grabbed the dear elders and the elders were calling me Justin Bieber for a bit cause they said I was probably famous cause of all the mail you all sent me! So thanks a lot!! but actually thanks so much, I love the dear elders because I read them on my little bed every night before I go to sleep, and they're so great to read. I started off my week by fasting for the people of my zone to feel comfort, my companion to recover from his sickness, and the elders leaving us to feel comfort. As well as a couple other reasons.  That same day at open gym time the volleyball actually looked half decent so i decided to go play. Great choice, there was this really cocky guy from California and first play I packed him in the face sooo hard. After that he stopped trying and essentially, I took his throne hahahah. Also our first "investigator" is now one of our teachers,...