Week 23 - Um Outro Batismo em Braga

Week 23 

 May 28, 2018

 Hey everyone, another one down for your boy. Was an awesome week, I have learned to really excpect the weirdest things here... Especially here in Braga! But its the best here! This week was awesome, Rosa Maria was baptized. She is the mom of one of my great friends here, Sol Amor. But yeah, the mission life by now is feeling like my normal lifestyle now!

May 22 - We had a facetime in the morning with a bunch of missionaries, and the mission president! Then we went out and worked. In one of the more sketchy areas. I saw lots of strange things, as well as a road full of police! Pretty interesting night!

May 23 - In the morning Elder Baugh and I went and put up a little banner thing in downtown and just contacted people walking around explaining more about our church, and setting things up for later. Made a killer seafood salad for lunch. Then we went to church and Elder Baugh gave Rosa Maria the baptism interview! Following that we got a call from Sergio that he needed a visit. I most likely will leave at the end of this transfer and he told me with tears that he wanted me to stay. He asked me for a blessing of comfort so I gave him one... In Portuguese. That was my first time doing that aha! But he is a great guy and we have became great friends since I have came here to Braga! Sergio gave me a photo of us with a note he wrote on the back after aha.

May 24 - Worked hard, and worked with our good friend Sol Amor! Freakin love this dude. We saw our homie Alex (The Rapper) and went into his house and met all of his fam! Great people! But in the night we went with Sol and taught Ines and her 3 kids. They kept playing the "I like to move it move it" song from Madagascar the movie trying to get their birds to dance and after about 30 minutes I wasn't sure if the lyrics would ever leave my head. But it was it was a great lesson.

May 25 - We got shutdown lots! But I kind of like getting shutdown because I find it funny. I always end up laughing it off afterwards! But other than getting wrecked, we taught Alex and Catia again. It was great, and we did it in the church. They really took the lesson well. We taught them how to pray. Alex prayed and Catia was crying after the prayer! Beautiful to witness.

May 26 - Knocked a bunch of freakin doors! That was our goal though. In the night was the baptism of Rosa Maria! It was unreal to see Sol baptize his mom and how happy he was for his mom. He told me it was worth missing the big soccer game on the TV ahah. Alex and Catia were at the baptism, and said they want to be next! We commited them for the 16th of June! I will likely be gone but that does not matter to me! I have been able to see the Lord's hand help them, and I want them to move at their own speed!

May 27 - Had church, and then lunch with Lages! After that we worked with SOL! What a beast, love that guy. His name "Sol Amor" translated to English is "Sun Love" hahah! I might have said that in my last message but maybe not! Then we ended the night with an hour long talk to a man in English! What a nice change ahaha!

What a great week though, as I said the mish is feeling like my normal lifestyle, and an awesome lady was baptized! The craziest part is that my language is really coming! I can actually have a conversation with anyone! (For the most part) But yeah I can see that working hard as well as faith in God, brings great things to pass. One of these weeks I'll send a video of me speaking! But yeah, whenever I talk to people on the streets they are just in shock because a tall (for Portugal), blonde, white guy speaking Portuguese is not really that common here! So people on the streets are somewhat usually interested in talking to me.

A cool story from this week.... Don't really have one. But Sol always gets distracted and laughs at birds. Oh and I used some Kanye West lyrics when a woman in the ward asked for some advice.

My challenge for you this week is from Elder Baugh, I asked him to choose a challenge for me this week. "Send a text message to someone saying, "Keep working hard, and keep on smiling".

The mish is dope, and life is dope. It's great out here and feels pretty good to understand and have conversations in another language! 

Anyways, have a great week and thanks for all the emails that I get! 

Elder out

Mamba out



Elder Parks Stewart Layton
Portugal Porto Mission
Rua de Amália de Luazes, No 23, Sala 1
4200-052 Porto
Portugal 

350 220-9416-40





Batismo da Rosa Maria

Cat Nation

The Fit

 Ye

Best P-Day activity of my life (Except the Cavs won)

Parks and Sergio




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