Week 30 Bem Vindo Elder Terra

WEEK 30  Bem Vindo Elder Terra

July 16, 2018

Hey everyone! It's transfer day tomorrow and it looks like I'm staying here in Carregado and getting Elder Terra! He is from England and Portugal! He is fully fluent in both languages! He's sooo dope! We have talked lots of times before and I was hoping that we would get a chance to serve together!! I'll do my best to talk mostly in Portuguese! But yeah I'm super pumped to serve with him, it's gonna be a dooope transfer. Oh and he already served with my homie Elder Patterson from back home! Although that means tchão for Elder Fajardo. We had a good transfer and the time just flew by! He's a really good missionary and I'm hoping the best for him.

This is a really great town I love it so much ahah. Also this next transfer we are going to knock every door here. 

Also happy birthday to two of the only people to email me every week of my mission!! First of all happy birthday to my Mom (Yesterday) who is the best definition of humility, love, charity and just amazing. I have been reflecting back to so many instances in my life recently I really see how blessed I have been to live with her guiding me in life. Also I feel it is a gift I can serve an oppurtunity of a life time to give back from what I have been given. I am so grateful for the missionaries who helped my mom. For those of you who do not know, my mom was a convert at the age of 18. This has changed my life and the life of my family forever, for the better. I feel honnored to be doing that same work those missionaries did not too many years ago. And the second person is Saige Peterson on July 10th. Honestly such a great person who really means a lot to me!I am so grateful for how close we are! I'll cut it off there ahah! But yeah! Here we go for the week:

July 10th, We had a district meeting but then after we returned back to Carregado with two other Elders. Elder Dias and Elder Rodrigues. They are from Sao Tome and Cabo Verde! So we went back and I was working with Elder Rodrigues! We made some really good contacts and even taught a lesson after helping a family carry 100 pound grocery bags! 

July 11th, We ended divisions and it was dope! And before they left we had lunch at a members house! Tiago Gago! Then we said bye to them. Then Elder Fajardo and I went to Azambuja! (A small town close to Carregado) but nothing happened there. On the way we say a mother whipping her son and yelling at him to stay in the corner. Honestly pretty scary, the kid thought we were police and we thought he was asking for help but we didnt know because he was talking super weird. 

June 12th, We didn't do anything super cool, but Elder Fajardo made some killer El Salvadorian Burritos! We also met a teenager named Ruban and he told us to return to his apartment another day!

July 13th, Kinda a tough day.. I felt sick the whole day and all our lessons didn't fall through. We even had some member lessons that the members forgot about ahah. So we went to the other town Azambuja just to have stuff fall through. But in we got a ride back with some members Joel and Emily. They're so dope. The served in the Boston Spanish mission and are now married! Emily is from California, and Joel is from Portugal and Venezuala. They will move to Utah in 3 years but theyºre super dope!! For sure some of my favourite members.

July 14th, The day went by but I had my weekly English lessons (Which Elder Terra will be a huge help with!) But it went super great! We had around 4 new people there!! And in the night we got prepped for Sunday...

15 de julho, (Mom I love you, happy birthday) Anyways in church we sang a Hymn durring sacrament meeting. "I'll Go Where you Want me to Go" Or whatever its real name is, I can only remember the Portuguese name right now. But it went pretty well! It was interesting because we aren't really amazing singers but almost everyone was crying durring it. The spirit was really strong, and the message is true. I will go where the Lord wants me to go and that's why I am here in Portugal, doing the best thing I can do at this time in my life. But yeah, that went really great. Then we had lunch at Irma Luisa's house. Also in the night we went there for "Family Home Evening" which was great! Everyone there basically looked at my photobook and loved seeing a bunch of blonde people, and thought my mom was super pretty hahah! But yeah, it was good and then we shared a powerful message on how we believe families can be for eternity! 

My funny story from this week is I legit saw a dude standing naked on his porch talking to someone on the street. Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be rules here!

My scripture of the week is:

  Alma Ch13 V29
“Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.”

It's basically simple! Put your faith and trust in the Lord (Jesus Christ) as well as love God, and it is promised to us that we will be "lifted up into his rest"

Once again HBD's, and I hope you all have a great week! I'm pumped for this next transfer! Should be unreal!

Elder out

Mamba out


parks.layton@myldsmail.net

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



GASP


A skill I acquired on the mission

Great Tie

Eu e Elder Fajardo

Eu e Elder Rodrigues

Eu e Elder Dias

Some old factory

Portugal

Portugal

Yuh!

DIRK

Tiago e Alvelani



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