Satan Knows

Lucas started out with lots of time and then all of a sudden he wrote me and said he had to go, could I catch everyone up. So here is the bulk of his email to me.

first:

"I´m gonna write two more letters, one to dad and the group one, but we can talk a bit :)

Then one minute later:

"Sorry, just kidding, can you give all the peeps an update for me? Gotta run :) Love you!"

Here is his email to me this week:

So this week's been a little crazy. I´ve been having back problems recently, so we got me to the hospital and got it sorted out, got me a backpack, the doc prescribed muscle relaxants, its just an overworked muscle in my back. President told me to take it easy, carry less weight, rest if I need to. He´s very involved in missionary health care. President Amorim is a very excellent mission president.

Something crazy though, is that Elder Garcia fell and hit his head the day after. We got him taken care of with three stiches. I´d send pictures, but I don´t have my camera cord and I´ll tell you why.

So we were looking for signs of a concussion, and today he presented with nausea, so president wanted us to come down here to Porto to get him a CT scan to make sure he was ok. He´s fine, but they said he might be sick. so we´re staying down here in the mission home. And man let me tell you, this place is niiiiiice haha :) I never got to stay in the mission home in Lisbon because we came in late. We´ve been hanging out, chillin. President took me to go shop for our food for the week while Elder Garcia slept. Now I´m using his computer to write yáll. Pretty chill day. :) Only problem is this is the 2nd time that we had marked a lesson with this one family that seemed so ready, and we´ve had to cancel. Satan really knows that this family will get baptized and be the springboard we need to make Regua a branch so he´s throwing everything he can our way.

Also, this was our 5th day in a row in some sort of hospital. Hey at least Elder Garcia´s mission can do nothing but improve right? haha :) he´s fine, I´m fine, We´re all fine here. Thank you. um...how are you?

I´m just excited to get back to work. I get antsy. President wants us to take it slow and that´s kinda hard for me. I need to work 100% or not at all. But we´ll get there.

This week has been a battle though aside from that. We’ve been helping our members be more active, I´ve been trying to take a better role as district leader in helping my missionaries. Our sisters have an investigator that’s progressing really well, which is awesome. They really need it. They´ve been following the council I give them, that I get from the ZLs, and them from the Assistants and from President. So from God :) It´s pretty cool :)

So yep. We get to have family home evening tonight with President and Sister Amorim :)

Working heard. I´m a bit tired, I´m sure they´ll send me to bed early. Have a good week :)

Love,

Elder Buchanan

Wooooo

Boa Tarde!

I'm really stretching on my subjects, I'm sorry :/

...Anyway!

This week's been nuts! We've been having a catholic festival of a local saint and everybody and their brother's family comes into town. Nuts, yo. We've met some pretty cool people, but it's been a little harder to find ones who stay. Speaking of that festival though, practically every night there was a party down by the river that went on ‘til like 4 in the morning. Crazy.

Oh and on Friday ‘til Sunday everyday there was just this group of drummers marching all over (specially in front of our house) just drumming as load as they could. Very annoying when you're trying to study the scriptures, or Portuguese.

Elder Garcia is making fantastic progress in Portuguese. He's talking a ton more (as much as I let him...gotta work on that) and understanding a lot more. He's a funny kid.

We were almost trapped in our apartment because of a parade on Saturday and then we were trapped in a park for 30 minutes on Sunday. We chose the wrong area to go talk to someone haha. Bit difficult, but hey, we've still found some cool people who are interested.

Bought a churro. Yup. That was good. 

We practically ran out of food this week haha :) Luckily I know how to make end of the week food! So our dinner on Sunday was still very good. It was only that one though. I'm very glad to see a full fridge today :) even if Elder Garcia's forcing me to be healthier. We've got a goal to get six packs. Let's see how that goes with only 30 minutes of exercise in the morning haha :) But hey, I think we can do it.

Just another week of work. Some days it's strange to realize that we're a couple of kids out here peaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But goes to show that really it's not us and our convincing words of learned men, but rather the truth of Christ's Gospel. :) I love being out here.

There are so many people here who are shocked when we tell them that we pay to be out here. I've heard a rumor that floated around in some parts of Portugal that "missionaries get a big bonus when someone's baptized" haha :) There are honestly some great ones, but my favorite was from a fellow missionary from Mozambique that said he heard the missionaries carry around guns in their bags. So he always hid from them because he was afraid to get shot haha.

On those funny notes, I shall leave you all :) I love my mission, my Savior, and you all!

Have a good week! Stay strong! Work hard! Eat your vegetables (I have to this week) :)

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

Olá

Greetings from Portugal!!!

That's Régua and part of Godim out there The river Douro down below

 

The roads have been super flooded this last week! We’re having festivals here this last weekend and the coming as well. Lots of folks with nowhere to go and yet everyone’s in a hurry when we say hi! haha :) It's funny how you say you're in a hurry in Portuguese because it literally means "I have pressure." Or like “I'm pressed. I'm in a hurry.” And EVERYone has "pressa" when the missionaries stop and talk to them haha :) But it's ok, we're here to find the people who want to talk to us, even if it takes a little convincing :)

The other day We were knocking doors REEEEEEEALLY far away from our house, like probably and hour on foot from the center of our area (Regua) we rang a bell at the gate (that's what most people have here, I gate faaaar away from the house with a intercom so that don't have to look you in the face. It's the Portuguese way. They’re funny people.) Anyway we rang the bell and we hear Rapaz (young man) say "woo! os Jeovás!" "woo! The Jevhova's Witnesses!" haha :) It's a common mistake. I yelled over the gate "Somos os Mórmons!" (we're the Mormons!) to which I heard "Mesmo coisa!"(same thing!) haha :)

Elder Garcia is a great companion; he's been progressing very fast in the language and his ability to speak! Not that I've been a huge help. Sometimes I get mad at myself for not letting him talk more. That's what's gonna help him grow. But I'm getting there. Just gotta get over my egotism and cala-me :)

I've been speaking only Portuguese to Elder Garcia. That's been taking me back. Woo. Haven't had to do that in a while. But it's good for us both. It's helping him learn. Our members absolutely love him, which is great. With what used to be more negativity from them about Régua, they're being more optimistic :) That's great :)

I've been working a lot more this week at developing my Christlike love. It's certainly hard sometimes. Especially when they are those few who drive ya nuts. It's frustrating sometimes when you talk to someone in the street, and they seem interested, but when you go to their house, a spouse or family member tells you they don't want anything. But it can also be funny. One time we knocked on a lady’s door that had told us to come back. Her neighbor was just like, "nobody lives there!" And we laughed and said, "well so n´so told us to come back today. The lady then tried to tell us that “well she obviously doesn't want anything.” We kind of joked with her saying, "well she did set up a time to come back so..." The Portuguese are a funny people :)

We had to do shopping this week on a budget because Elder Garcia still doesn't have his money, but we're not gonna starve, just we won't be pigs haha. It's ok ‘cuz he eats very little anyway.

We hiked a mountain! Because there were a few houses up there that we wanted to knock! It was actually only about a 15 minute walk, but like straight up! I'll send pictures of the veiw. Elder Garcia's shoes, which had been dying already since he got to Regua, finally lost their bottoms. It was kinda funny. Luckily he has a second pair, and we can take the others to a shoe store and they'll resole it!

Have a great week!

Abraço,

Elder Buchanan

My tie on the tie wall in the home of Família Pinto

Trainee!

Hellooooooo!

So transfers happened! My Comp, Elder Gilbert went off to serve as the companion to one of the Assistants to the President (of the mission) in Porto. And I receive a bouncing, brand new missionary fresh out of the Missionary Training Center! Elder Garcia. Pretty crazy!!

On Wednesday I went with Elder Girlbert to Proto, when we parted ways, I went to the Mission office to spend the day with the office Elders. I was running around all day helping them take care of mission stuffs, mailing visa applications and taking missionaries to the bus station, medical appointments, etc. Lots of work they do, but I like them. They're awesome.

Then on Thursday I got my new companion! He's from Utah (of course) and became a member of the church only 5 years ago. He actually brought his whole family into the church.

I've got a fantastic week ahead of me, helping this guy on his feet. He's already getting two firm hands on the language (his Spanish helps) and he's excited to learn. It's gonna be a fun 12 weeks!

Have a good week! Take very good care!

Abraço,
Elder Buchanan