Transfer week-Only 1 of six were changed!

On Sunday, February 19th we both spoke in the Braganca branch followed by a luncheon. There were 27 in attendance.

Joao Freire the 1st counselor is also a professional artist. He painted 2 paintings for us to remember the 2 cities we were assigned. Kim is holding Vila Real and I’m holding Braganca.

We also celebrated Beaveindo’s birthday.

On the 3rd Sundays we also attend the Mirandela Group that meets at 2PM on our drive back to Vila Real. This was our last visit to Mirandela.

On Sunday night we visited Fernando & Sinara Santos and their 3 children. In the end of December 2022 they moved to Vila Real. Prior to moving here they stayed 50 days in Lisbon with Sinara’s cousin. Her cousin and her husband and 2 children live in a 2 bedroom apartment. The 5 of them slept in the living room this entire time. They moved to Portugal to help their children have a better life.

They live on the 3rd floor and we noticed this random door high on the wall.

From 8-10PM on Sunday (2/19) we attended a FHE activity in Vila Real.

Sunday night at 9:30PM while attending the FHE activity we received notice of the transfers. Out of the six missionaries we serve with only Elder Forsberg (on the left) is being transferred. He is going to work in the mission office with the finances where he can use his accounting and computer skills. Elder Daniel Erickson who together with his wife serves in the mission office has estimated that usually between 75 to 85 percent of the missionaries are affected by each transfer.  Fortunately for us it was only 16%. 

If all goes well the Vila Real branch will become the Vila Real Ward (perhaps on the day of our homecoming March 19th) and eventually move into this beautiful house.

On Monday, February 20th we returned to Fernando & Sinara Santos home for a meal and FHE. Sinara has a very outgoing/happy/animated personality as seen in these first 2 photos.

We dropped off the missionaries at 10pm and took one last photo with Elder Forsberg.

On Tuesday, February 21st we returned to Braganca for a final Young Adult activity. Kim made delicious pulled pork sandwiches together with no bake oatmeal cookies and a lemon cake. There were 18 of us.

What a blessing to testify to this very diverse group that we are all children of God.

They loved to play Heads Up!

Thursday, February 23rd was our weekly District Meeting. We met E. Benjamin Chamale. He arrived in Portugal this week and is from Quebec, Canada. His Dad is from Guatemala and his Mother is from Peru. His parents both immigrated to Canada over 20 years ago.

After Seminary class on Thursday, February 23rd Kim attended the YW class.

SCRIPTURE POWER  

The "false and vain and foolish doctrine" (2Ne. 28:9) that "God..will justify in committing...sin" (2Ne. 28:8) as one rationalizes their actions compared to heinous crimes of others, they may conclude that what they have done is only "a little sin" (2 Ne. 28:8) “there is no harm in this” (2 Ne. 28: 8)

 

“O the wise, and the learned, and the rich, that are puffed up in the pride of their hearts, and all those who preach false doctrines, and all those who commit whoredoms, and pervert the right way of the Lord, wo, wo, wo be unto them, saith the Lord God Almighty, for they shall be thrust down to hell!” (2 Ne. 28:15) 

  

The very rare triple wo warning (wo, wo, wo) only occurs twice in the Book of Mormon. The other time is in 3 Ne. 9:2 "Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice.."  The devil laughs and his angles rejoice whenever we don't repent. 

 

Jacob describes  a 3 step solution for the wise, learned and rich who are puffed up.

 

“the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall 1.) cast these things away, and 2.) consider themselves fools before God, and 3.) come down in the depths of humility” (2 Ne. 9:42)  Without repentance one cannot come down into the depths of humility.

 

Perhaps, the simplest solution: “charity.. is not puffed up.” (Moroni 7:45)

 

The standard is clear "no unclean thing can dwell with God" (1 Ne. 10:21) "there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God" (1 Ne. 15:34)  "I know that the words of truth are hard against all uncleanness; but the righteous fear them not, for they love the truth" (2 Ne. 9:40)

 

The goal is to obtain "the remission of your sins, [all sins even little sins] that ye become holy, without spot." (Moroni 10:33) "cleansed and are spotless, pure and white" (Alma 5:24) "found spotless, pure, fair and white, having been cleansed by the blood of the Lamb, at that great and last day." (Mor. 9:6)

Our 2nd to last Zone Conference

On Friday, February 10th we attended  Zone conference held in Porto for the Porto and Porto north zones. 

This is sister Hannah Hextell, from Houston, Texas. She reruns home on February 23rd and will be attending BYU.

After zone conference the five senior couples went to dinner.

Sunday, February 12th Kim attended the Young Women class in Vila Real.

Later Sunday night Ricardo & Eveline Cardoso together with their children Kelvia & Sara + Eveline’s parents Antonio & Valentina came for dinner & games.

Kelvia standing by her painting she made for Kim.

Valentines Day in Porto!

On Wednesday, February 15th we had District meeting/bbq in a park! The temperature was in the upper 50s.

On Thursday, February 16th after Seminary class we stopped by to see the new apartment of Antonio & Valentina. 

SCRIPTURE POWER  

How to avoid being deceived.

 

On March 7, 1831 Joseph Smith received the revelation known as Doctrine and Covenants section 45.  This is a long revelation containing 75 verses. Verse 60-61 states: “And now, behold, I say unto you, it shall not be given unto you to know any further concerning this chapter [Matthew 24], until the New Testament be translated, and in it all these things shall be made known. Wherefore I give unto you that ye may now translate it, that ye may be prepared for the things to come.” (D & C 45:60-61). 

 

The next day March 8, 1831 Joseph Smith stopped revising the Old Testament and started on the New Testament. At some point soon after he revised Matthew 24 as contained in the Pearl of Great Price-“Joseph Smith-Matthew”. 

 

This chapter mentions “deceive” five (5) times. (JS-M 1:5,6,9,22,37)

 

"For in those days there shall also arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch, that, if possible, they shall deceive the very elect, who are the elect according to the covenant." (J.S. Matt. 1:22)  

 

Elect according to the covenant of baptism would mean members of the Church. 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said: “But there is one kind of latter-day destruction that has always sounded to me more personal than public, more individual than collective—a warning, perhaps more applicable inside the Church than outside it. The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect, could be deceived by the enemy of truth. (Matthew 24:24; Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:22) If we think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our loyalties and our values; then consider Jesus’s declaration that in the last days “men’s hearts [shall fail] them.” (Luke 21:26) (“Safety for the Soul”, October 2009 General Conference).

 

The solution is found in JS-M verse 37. "And whoso treasureth up my word, shall not be deceived,..." 

 

President Joseph Fielding Smith said: "Treasuring up his word is far more than merely reading it. To treasure it one must not only read and study, but seek in humility and obedience to do the commandments given, and gain the inspiration which the Holy Spirit will impart." (“The Resurrection,” Improvement Era, Dec. 1942, 780; see also Doctrines of Salvation, ed. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. (1954–56), 1:305; Teachings of the Presidents of the Church, Joseph Fielding Smith, chapter 10)

 

Similarly “For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.” (D & C 45:57)

 

 

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said: “Not read, not study, not search, but treasure up the Lord's word. Possess it, own it, make it yours by both believing it and living it. For instance: the voice of the Lord says that if men have faith, repent, and are baptized, they shall receive the Holy Ghost. It is not sufficient merely to know what the scripture says. One must treasure it up, meaning take it into his possession so affirmatively that it becomes a part of his very being; as a consequence, in the illustration given, one actually receives the companionship of the Spirit. Obviously such persons will not be deceived where the signs of the times and the Second Coming of the Messiah are concerned." (Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary,Vol. 1, p. 662)

“for the thing, [the Book of Mormon] which the Lord shall bring forth by his hand, by the power of the Lord shall bring my people unto salvation.” (2 Ne. 3:15)

 

“As the Liahona guided the Nephites, so the word of Christ leads men to eternal life” (Alma 37 chapter heading)

 

“The word of God leads men to salvation” (Helaman chapter 3 heading)

 

“The scriptures guide man to salvation.” (2 Timothy chapter 3 heading)