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!!!(: