Two Weeks Worth! 5-12-14 and 5-19-14

The Day After Mother's Day!!

We had an AMAZING visit with Zach on Mother's Day. He was so happy the whole time we got to talk to him! He is loving Portugal!

hi guys!(:

it was awesome to see you guys too!(: nah i wasnt too sad, i was too tired haha(; i really wish i could've heard your talk!:/ and did dad give a talk too? i dont really know what to say cuz we talked last night haha(: but its nuts how big everyone is getting!  and im starting to get back into the habit of studying as much as i used to, dont worry(; this morning i was studying in Romans, cuz i love all the epistles that Paul sent out, and i spent a while going over Romans 12 this morning. I honestly think that if any person were to just apply that chapter to their lives and to be really trying to be the person it describes, that person would be pretty well off by any standards, especially in God's eyes, haha. one of my favorite verses was the very last one in chapter 12, im just going off of memory, but im pretty sure it says "Don't be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good". to me it just kinda means that its not enough to just not be bad, but we actually have to be good, in fact good enough to defeat the bad... so we pretty much have out work cut out for us(;

well i love you guys a bunch and yea i kinda miss you guys!!(; ill try to get back in the habit of taking pictures too, now that i have a working camera(: 

ill talk to you guys again next week!! jeez school is almost out haha, thats nuts!! tchau!! love you guys!!(:

Zach's had a busy week reconnecting with members in the area!

this Antonio, he has been a member for quite a while but lives really far away and doesnt have the opportunity to go to church hardly ever cuz he has to take care of his really sick mom. but holy crap if anyone is going straight to the highest part of heaven its this guy, he's just incredible! the missionaries i guess kind of forgot about him, and its been about 6 or 7 years since he's had contact with them, but last week he called us up, so we got on a bus and when down to his house to talk with him. he goes around to a lot of the members in his town (cuz none of them are able to come all the way out to Tomar for church every sunday) and helps them keep up their testimonies!! he's so flippin cool!!

HIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!!(:

my week has been pretty good!! Carlos, the guy who was baptized like a month ago, just yesterday in church got the Aaronic priesthood, which totally rocks! this branch is finally growing!! haha(:

and if the boys are getting good at guitar, one song that's fun to play is Come Together by the Beatles (but Aerosmith does a sweeter version) an Elder taught me how to play that one, and it's way fun(: but you have to lower the lowest E string down to a D, its super easy to do it with the piano. thats a fun one(:

and holy crap its so weird.... Boogs is turning flippin 16!!!! im finishing on writing all these letters and organizing a crap ton of pictures and videos onto a thumb drive so i can send it all home, and maybe a birthday present... if i can find something cool haha(: TELL HIM I SAID HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!

and dang you lucky jerks!!! i wanna go to freakin Mexico hahaha, you guys better have fun!!!!(; and i freakin hope i get to see Joseph, that'll be so flippin cool!!! i can't wait for him to get here already haha, he's gonna love it!!

and my week has been pretty good, pretty much the same old, same old stuff. im kinda scrambling right now cuz i dont have much time left. today was crazy with a bunch of elders here to all go to the castle, so i dont have much time to write and i dont have any of my notes to pass on awesome scritpures to you guys. but one that i do remember is D&C 101, but i don't remember exactly why hahahaha, sorry(:

well i love you guys all so much, and as much as i want to say that next weeks letter will be better, im not sure, cuz this coming up sunday we have transfers!!! i have no idea whats gonna happen, but i guess we'll see(: love you guys, and have a killer week, i'll email you guys next week!!(:

Zach playing with the members and investigators in Tomar

some members of our branch and some of just our friends who are investigating the church all got together and we played futsol (its like indoor soccer on a smaller field) it was fun(:

this was us who played futsol, the two black kids are Leo and Mauro (members of the Angolan family) the guy in the white shirt is Miguel, he's a super cool member, and he's the one kinda teaching us MMA, and the shorter one is our Branch Pres, haha holy crud he's is so awesome, i freakin love him to death

Zach and some visiting Elders check out the "Castle" again

today we visited the castle again with 4 other elders, two from Abrantes(Elders Hartley and Singer) and two from Portalegre(Elders Bascom and Bishop) and this is along the castle wall

 
figured since i was wearing a crossfit shirt, i could go old school and throw up a handstand to rep the team(:

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then a nice little heel-click down the hallway... im getting pretty good at those(; haha

This is Julio, one of our strongest members and just pretty much a stud haha. if i ever get the chance to revisit Portugal im going straight to this guy's house haha(:

He Answers My Questions!!

Zach writes a Detailed letter!!

But sorry, no pictures this week :(

Hi momma!!!!! im not in too much of a hurry today, which is kinda nice(: but first things first... Q & A time!

1. Carlos's conversion story was pretty awesome, not in the sense that it was mindblowing or anything, but the fact that he's the friend of a member, and the member could see he was needing help, so they introduced him to the Gospel. Growing up Carlos was an addicted drinker and smoker, and had tried multiple times to quit both. He's been to rehab more than a few times, but has never been able to fully leave it all behind. One day our member told us that the next Sunday she was going to bring a friend who needed a blessing to help him quit, so of course we were stoked for the chance. he came to church that sunday and was really quiet and kinda closed off, but after church we gave him the blessing, and when the blessing was over he just kinda sat there for a minute with his eyes shut. when he finally stood up, he turned around and hugged us haha, which was really kinda of weird, but still pretty awesome, and told us that he would definitely be coming back next week! we didn't have an opportunity to teach him that week because he was busy with work and rehab, but when he got to church the next sunday he told us that he had been able to quit drinking almost immediately! The following week we started teaching him, and it was amazing because he didnt have a problem accepting a single concept we talked about or any of the commandmants (that sometimes discourage investigators haha). he continued coming to church and taking lessons, and began to open up more to us and the members too. Then during planning one day, Elder O'Malley and i decided it was time to ask him if he wanted to be baptized, and this one's always a doozy for missionaries haha, a lot of the time it is the make or break point with investigators, and we really didnt want to lose carlos, but you better believe we had faith and we were praying our guts out haha(; well the lesson came, and we started the lesson like normal, and as we were talking we started transitioning into baptism. we talked about faith and how sometimes it works backwards. it doesnt always happen where we gain faith, and then are able to do wonders, most of the time, we do things first because we have hope, and then because we showed our faith in doing things even if we didnt know for sure, thats when our faith grows the most. and so when the time came to test OUR faith, i asked him pretty plainly actually "Carlos, do you want to be baptized?".... and he kinda stopped for a second and looked at me and laughed..... and then was like "Pois!! (which doesnt really have an exact translation in English, its kinda like a mix of "yea" and "duh" but isnt rude at all) I wouldnt be here if i didnt want to be baptized!" haha it was so freakin cool and pretty funny! and then two weeks after that he was baptized!! and its so amazing to see him now in church every Sunday and at branch activities because he is honestly so much happier!! On the Sunday after his baptism, right after i confirmed him a member of the church, he got up and when we hugged, he like propped me up on his gut (cuz he's kinda got a belly haha) and picked me up in a big bear hug like a freakin little kid hahaha. If nothing else happens for the rest of my mission, i can honestly say that i am more than happy, because i have been able to see such an amazing change in one person's life. his first time at church he was quiet and barely said anything, and now he shows up 20 minutes early every sunday with a huge smile on his face and his Book of Mormon in his hand, talking with and greeting all the members and just making it a happier place. and the best part is we're hoping that here in the near future he will get the Priesthood, and continue on to the Temple and keep progressing!

2. Do i feel fluent in português?? no, no, nopedy-no! hahaha, i mean ive gotten pretty freaking good at saying the words i know, and understanding other people say words that i know... the problem is there's still so much to learn! haha, i can say just about what ever i want now, but its not always grammatically correct or even qualified to be considered 6th grade education... but it works!! hahaha, no i guess i am actually coming along really well. whenever we have big meetings, people ask me how long ive been in the mission, and it usually takes a little convincing until they can really believe im only in my third transfer, but i dont feel fluent, and im definitely not at my full potential yet... so im still working!!

3. Our new converts have been doing pretty well!! Inês (she's 19) is a great member, but she's pretty busy with school, so she doesnt always have a chance to come to church on Sunday, but she gets along great with the whole ward, and the whole ward loves her. Ivo is a little harder, he is still smoking, and it doesnt seem like he really wants to quit, but we still have lessons with him and he still comes to church when he can which is good! Belina is freakin awesome and one of my favorite people here. she's still coming to church, and we had a ward activity this past week where we all when out to this big park area by some natural water spring and river, and she came. she fits right in with all the members and they all get along great. hahaha, during the ward activity it was getting kind of warm so i was eating a ice cream bar thingy, and she saw me eating it so she was like "Zacharias!! (she doesnt call me Elder Dayton haha, i love it) anda qui!! which means come here, and then she took a big ole chomping bite out of my ice cream!!!! hahahaha i was laughing so freakin hard, and its so funny cuz she's only like 5 ft tall!! and then on the bus ride back from the activity i feel asleep, and she must've seen me sleeping, so she made her way to the back of the bus to where i was, (and i guess i was sleeping with my head back and my mouth open) cuz she freakin blew in my mouth and then screamed really loud to wake me up!!!! hahahahahaha it was so freakin weird!!!! it flippin scared the crap out of me! and then she was just laughing and laughing and then i started laughing hahaha, she's so fruity but holy crap i love her haha. and then you already have the story of Carlos(:

4. and yes i literally got the package as i was walking out the door to come do emails today, thank you!!! and these American Flag socks are so sick!!! haha thank you so much!!(: 

5. and yes i do like my Mission Pres! i havent had much time to talk to him personally, but last time i did (we have interviews about every other transfer) i got him to laugh a little which was sweet. he's a pretty strict, by-the-book kinda guy, and usually doesnt spend much time joking around, but he's really caring and every now and then lets a subtle joke fly which are usually pretty funny. he's a freakin Gospel stud, but im gonna make it my mission to try to get him to laugh more haha, cuz he can be pretty funny!

6. Every Tuesday we have District Meetings. The district im in right now is the district of Portalegre, which is me and my comp, and then the two elders serving in Portalegre. but inbetween our town of Tomar and Portalegre, there's a town called Abrantes that has two companionships of elders there (so 4 elders), and thats where we have our district meetings every tuesday. so once a week we get to see 6 other elders and hang out for a little bit. and once a month we have Zone meetings, and in our Zone we have about 20 other missionaries, and we usually all go to lunch together after the meeting which is usually really fun(: but other than that its just us here in Tomar!!(:

7. and yes i miss you guys!! i dont let myself think about it to the point where i would get sad or homesick, but yea every now and then i miss my family(; we were talking to that Angolan family last night, and they couldn't believe that we only get to skype twice a year, they skype with their family in Angolan almost every night. and a while ago i was showing them pictures of you guys, and then while i was explaining the pictures, i was like "yea, the next time ill see them is in two years" and when i said it like that it made me a little sad... but then i sucked it up!!! haha nah i do miss you guys a lot, but when im waiting to read the letters from the package until tonight just incase they make me a little sad haha, but i guess we'll see how that goes!!(; 

and about mother's day!! i think ill be able to skype from our church building after 8:30pm here, which works for you guys right? would that be like the best time? and we'll get about an hour to talk!(: but ill be able to get on before sunday to give final details!

and im sorry, but i dont have much to give to you for your talk on sunday! i know i know, im no help at all!!(; hahaha, just tell them to keep it jiggy or something lame like that hahaha(; well actually i guess tell the youth in the ward to really try to slow down life and enjoy the moment that they're in, cuz i thought nothing would ever change, and all of a sudden now im waking up in a bed in portugal speaking another language and living on my own... and it comes out of nowhere!!! especially the kids that are graduating this year like max and sam and marcus, cuz this is the last free summer they're gonna get FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES!!! haha, its weird how life is like that, the moment you're in seems to roll on forever, then all of a sudden you're caught wondering where it all went and just trying to remember everything that happened!!

well i think that's about all ive got right now! i know i've been slacking on giving scriptures and im sorry, im really gonna work on it this week and try to keep notes so that i can remember to share! but one of my favorite stories in the book of Mormon is the conversion story of King Lamoni, especially reading it as a missionary its amazing to me to see something that has such a strong desire to change for the better and to grow closer to Christ. and one scripture that has helped me a lot is James 1:5 (its the scripture that Joseph Smith read that lead him into the Grove). the first part of it says "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God...." if ANY of you.... not just the prophet, not just spiritual giants, but anyone. the child asking for help because they're afraid; the student asking for help with an upcoming test; the investigator asking for help to know if this really is the truth; the missionary asking for strength to keep going faithfully; the parent asking for help to know what is the best choice to make for the family; the broken heart, asking for forgiveness and comfort. Our Father in Heaven has promised us that He will help us get through this test, and to do that He gave His only son, who already knows every pain, every suffering, every heartache that we will ever face, and because of this he is able to love us and care for us more than we will ever be able to understand. Jesus is always there, always listening, always ready to lift our heads and guide us through whatever we are facing, all we need to do is let Him in. One if my favorite things to read is the lyrics to the Hymn "I Stand All Amazed". but ill let you read that on your own time(;

i love you all so much and yea, i miss you guys like crazy, but right now im working!! so i'll see you guys next Sunday on Skype!! i love you!!!(:

April 28-30

It has taken Zach a few days to get us a REAL letter

The Elders are busy in Portugal!!

April 28, 2014
hey momma, im super sorry, i havent had much time today, but im gonna get on tomorrow, or if not tomorrow the next day, but i will get on!! haha. and about the package, maybe just a Fiji deoderant for my comp, haha, he saw that i use it and its what he used to use and he really misses it!(; and yes please on the fishies!! and the recipe for buttermilk pancakes pretty please!!!!!!!!! theres no syrup here, so when we make pancakes we use like nutella on it, and its not the same haha(; but ill write more tomorrow!!! i love you all!!!(:

Zach got a few minuets to write us in the middle of the week!

April 30, 2014
Hi momma!!! sorry that im so late, this week has been nuts!! even right now i dont have too much time, but im still good!! the baptism with Carlos went freakin perfectly!!! and then on Sunday i confirmed him a member, it was so cool!! haha, first blessing ive given in português, and i was super nervous, but it went pretty well i think! i dont remember much of it, but i kept saying how he would bless the lives of so many others, so we'll see how it all plays out!! haha(:

and about the boys i wanna know like inches!! haha, as long as theyre 5' 9" or under haha! but it dont matter, we had two other elders stay at our house last night before a big meeting we had today, and we all wrestled last night for like 2 hours... dont worry, i was champ(; i tapped out ever single elder, and the hardest one is about 6' 1" and 220 lbs who played football in high school and hasn't lost a single wrestling match on the mission haha(: and we got a few of them on video, and my SD card is full, so pretty soon here im gonna put it all on a thumb drive and send it all home to you guys(: 

and thank you so much for the syrup recipe haha, i gotta freakin try it out soon!!(: 

and sorry that i havent been sending scriptures or anything, i guess i just havent really been thinking about it much!! but ill start working on it!! but one i can leave with you now is the last chapter in the book of mormon, Moroni 10, mostly verses 3 - 5, this is one we use with all our investigators to help them gain a testimony, it can be really powerful if you put the effort and thought into it that it deserves(: 

but this coming up monday for sure ill have more time to send a good email so i will haha, but until then, i love you all!!!! 

one thing i hear this week that i really liked, "we're not humans having a spiritual expirience, but spirits having a human expirience", and for me it kinda gives me hope cuz i know where i come from, and that the base of me is rooted in righteousness (or however you spell it haha).

until monday!! love you guys!!(:

Zach's Latest Baptism

this was Carlos at his baptism!!! and this is Isabel (the member who brought Carlos to church for the first time about a month ago, and is also our maezinha or "português mission mom" haha) and then thats my comp Elder Barnhart!! haha, he's super sick, and he's only 5' 4" hahaha(:

April 21, 2014

Daily life in Portugal

Zach's camera broke :(  So no new pics. And he is short on detail lately, and you'll see a theme of that for the next several letters!

Hi momma!!(:

haha, i havent sent details in a while cuz not much has changed!! im still in the same place! but my new comp is freakin rad, he's super fun and cool. but i dont have any pictures to send cuz my stupid camera is broken :( the video still works, but the pictures are all wack, which called kinda blows haha, but sometime this week im gonna take it to a place to see if they can fix it, cuz if not im buying a new one:/ but i do have some requests por favor, if you take them(: next time you send a package can you send more of that acne medicine? i ran out and its not very pretty haha, and also can you send some Fiji anti-persperant deoderant? the deoderant here sucks haha. but neither of those things are emergencies!! so just whenever then next time is pretty please throw those in too!(:

well like i said, not much has changed, but we are having a baptism on the 26th of April!!! His name is Carlos and he's a freakin stud. he's like fifty and is actually excited about getting baptized!! i think i talked about him last week though haha(: 

and luckies!! make sure you take a lot of sick pics of Hawaii!!! and also make sure the boys take time and enjoy lacrosse!! everytime i talk about it it makes me so sad cuz all of a sudden its over:( haha but thats kinda how life goes i guess.... it just sucks and then you die.....(; hahahaha i say that all the time to my comp, he thinks its kinda funny, but not as funny as i think it is(: nah we're actually having a lot of fun together(: 

and this is kinda weird... but how tall are all the boys and how much do they all weigh?? im afraid im gonna get home and be the smallest one hahaha but we'll see!(: i'll still kick all their butts!! we have a member who's gonna start teaching us some boxing and MMA on P Days, which is gonna be so freakin sick!!

well i think that's about it! i gotta go soon cuz we got another basketball game to dominate!! its funny, cuz out of everything you learn on a mission, so far it seems like the thing that im learning fastest is how to play basketball hahaha, but its cool cuz now we have a ton of friends our age in our area that all like us, so maybe one day they'll get converted!! haha

well i love you guys all and i miss you guys!!!  and mother's day is the 18th of May, but ill have more specific info a little later, sorry!! haha, tomorrow we have a Zone Conference and Pres Fluckiger will be there, so he'll probably talk about it with us(:

but until then i love you guys!!! and pretty pretty please invite some of my friends over for the mother's day skype too so i can see them all!!!!(: hahaha(: love you guys so much!!! fica bem!!!(: