Merry Christmas!

Tudo bem todas pessoas. This week hasn't been too crazy! We have been really busy with members and Christmas parties! It's been really fun. We haven't been able to teach as much though so hopefully things will start to pick up after Christmas! This Christmas is going to be so different but so nice. We have 2 meal appointments with members on Christmas and we have one on Christmas Eve. The people fight to have missionaries over on Christmas....maybe it's because we bring American food and games! haha  I love it though haha. I said this last week but I just want to say it again, Christmas is so special. Being on a mission helped me to see that more. We were given the most amazing gift, Jesus Christ, our Savior. God gave us his beloved son. It amazes me, but it only proves how much the Lord and our father in heaven truly love us. Keep him in your thoughts and remember how blessed we really are. I love this mission. I love the opportunity to serve others and to serve my Lord. I miss all of you and I hope you all have a great Christmas, be safe driving...I've seen Utah pics and looks like its snowing alot ha...(suckers;)..) jk. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Love Elder Thomas

Part of Brock's message to me: 

I've been opening the 12 Days of Christmas gifts!! THANK YOU so much Mom haha!! I love all of them so far haha!! They're so funny and the others laugh when they see them but they're awesome thank you! I'm highlighting all the scriptures that go along with them. 

I finally got to play basketball with a new convert and his friends. It was a great missionary opportunity and they were surprised a white boy like me could play! 

Today my companion and I went to the HUGE mall again and hung around and shopped. There is not a lot to do in this area on P-Day. 

January 4th is my first transfer. 

I can't wait to Skype on Christmas and see and talk to everyone! 

Mon 12/21/2015 9:20 AM

2 Months!

Bon-dia everyone! I can't believe I have been gone for a total of 2 months! It's crazy how fast time goes. Well this last week has been pretty normal. Just working day by day trying to bring others unto Christ. Our area is pretty funny. It looks like a really rough area but really everyone here is so nice and humble but there is also a lot of partying, drinking, and smoking that goes on here. I have never seen so many drunk people or so many cigarettes in the streets in my entire life...haha. I feel like I've smoked several packs of cigarettes so far just from second hand smoke! We have taught a few drunk people in the streets and I could've sworn one was so close to barfing on us haha....but usually they are nice and give us a chance to share our message. After they usually ask for money....so instead we hand out Christmas cards and pamphlets. They take them though.:) I'm pretty sure they don't know what they're doing! I've seen some pretty crazy stuff here so far! 

The language is still hard but I'm just trying to have faith that it's all going to come! Everyone that lives in our house, which is just us and 2 other elders, are older and are close to going home. I'm the baby! I like our house though. The food is okay. I've never eaten so many sandwiches before. I thought I had but NO! haha That's all we have for almost every meal because we barely have time to make anything and everything else is pretty expensive. 

Last week we had a ward Christmas party that was really fun and tomorrow we have a mission Christmas party which I'm excited for! It will be nice to meet everyone else on the mission and get some more insight! Christmas is coming so soon. This Christmas is really special and since I've been here my thoughts on Christmas have totally changed. It's about the Savior. We were given the greatest gift ever from our loving Heavenly Father. I can't imagine how hard it was for God to give his son to us, but he did it because he loves us, and Christ was willing. I am so grateful for my Lord Jesus Christ. They have given us everything. We have so much to be grateful for. I love this gospel and I love what it brings. I'm happy to be here sharing it with others in need and learning from all types of experiences. I love and miss you all and I hope and pray your all doing well. Have a good week everyone! 

Love Elder Thomas

I'm Full of Pregnancy!

Hey everyone!! This week has been good. I'm still just getting used to everything. It's been fun getting to know people here. I still have no idea what they're saying to me but I know how humble these people are. They don't have much where I'm at but yet they're still so loving and kind. The food has been really good! They somehow are always able to feed us so much! A funny story.....we were at a members house and she was asking me if I want more food, and I tried to tell her "I'm full of food" but I guess it came out as "I'm full of pregnancy" because the words for "full of food" and "full of pregnancy" are so similar so they all just started laughing! haha....Yeah I was really embarrassed but hey no worries, I soon found out later she spoke english and I could've just spoke to her in english that entire night haha! 

Our area is a little hard but we're trying our best out here. I asked a girl to get baptized a couple days ago and she said yes but now she's sorta running from us. Idk alot of people out here are people pleasers I think. They just dont want to say no to our face. It's fine though. My companion and I are just going to have to work harder! It's hard not being able to speak what I feel at moments especially when I know what I say could change their world. 

Anyway, I am loving it here and I'm growing everyday from these experiences.  I'm glad to be here and I love and miss all of you. Write me if you want to be written back in slaughtered Portuguese!   

Amor, Elder Thomas

Biggest Mall in Europe

Lisbon Trails 

Foggy Day 

Outskirts of Lisbon 

Brock's First Week in Portugal and New Companion Elder Taylor Hart!

Hey everyone! So finally here in Portugal! The first night we spent at the Mission President's home which was so pretty and the home is huge! They made us food that was really good. After that night we met our companion/trainer. Mine is Elder Hart. He's a really cool guy and I like him as my companion. My area is called Barreiro. Its the hood part of Portugal. They call this place "Mini Africa." haha I dont understand a lick of what they are saying. Doesn't sound like what they taught us in the MTC and their accent is really different. I'm just trying my best to get the language down. I know I'm supposed to be in this area for a reason so I'm going to stay positive and see what the Lord wants me to do here. 

Today was fun because we got to go to Lisbon and look and shop around for a while. We went to the biggest mall in Europe which is seriously insanely huge! It's massive! Then we ate at McDonalds. They don't have refillable drinks and the bread is different but it still tasted pretty good. Then after that we just hung around and shopped. The things I've already seen here are ridiculous! haha I will have to tell you more later. 

I do love it here and I'm glad to be serving these people and my Lord and King. I love you all! Hope everyone is good.  I'll send more pics next week but until then - Tchau. 

Love Elder Thomas 

A girl who served in Portugal and is now a returned missionary (she's in the white shirt) ran into Brock's group in the airport. She sent me a text and a picture. She told me Brock bore his testimony to her and did it very well. When we got to talk to Brock at the airport he also bore his testimony to us. Since we can't understand the language it sounded awesome to us as well! It was soooo good to talk to him and he already sounds more mature and full of the spirit in just those 6 short weeks at the MTC. Then Brock's mission president also sent me some pictures!  

Leaving For Portugal Monday November 23rd!!!

Tudo Bem everyone! Well the time is almost here! In 6 days I will be on a plane headed to Lisbon Portugal. I have been so blessed since I have been here. There have been many rough patches but with God's help I was able to overcome these trials. I am grateful to be doing this! It has taught me so many things already. Its a privilege to be doing the Lord's work and helping others come unto him. He is my Savior and my King. I owe him everything, and I love that fact that I will be his servant for these next 2 years!! I love this work. I know its going to be tough, but in the end I know it will be worth it. I love and miss you all. Sorry it's short this week but just know you all are in my prayers. Next time I email you I will be in Portugal!!! :)  Missions are Forever. I love you all and am so grateful for everyone helping me get to where I am.  

Love Elder Thomas   

Week 4 in the MTC

Tudo Bem everyone. Another week down and 2 more left! This week was really interesting. I've now taught so many lessons to so many investigators that I forget their names sometimes and I call them by something totally different haha. Its actually really funny cause they're not suppose to break character but I usually get them to laugh so that's fun! haha. We also got to have Chik-fil-A here last night!! I was soooo happy. I have been seriously so sick of the food I even thought about fasting so that I could endure this food for a few more weeks haha. So last night was a huge help haha. It was soooo good, it was heavenly. My mouth was watering when I was waiting in line so that was one of my highlights haha.  

Another highlight happened while I was teaching a lesson in priesthood...I really dont think I've felt the spirit as strong as it was in that room. While I was teaching our zone a lesson on obedience the spirit was just speaking through me. My entire lesson I had planned sorta when to sham. I didn't really use anything I wrote down. I used alot of scriptures that really impacted some of the Elders. It was really awesome. Even some of the Branch Council members said that I taught and said things that they had never heard before. This experience really helped me see the impact the spirit can have. I love the spirit here and I love this gospel. I hope all of you are doing well! I miss and love all of you. I'll talk to you guys next week.

Eu Amos Voces. Tchao. 

Love Elder Thomas

Week 3 in the MTC!

Hello everyone! Well 3^rd week down! and I still have 3 more to go!! Being here for 3 weeks may not seem very long, but in all honesty it feels like a lifetime. I feel like I’m at the very end of my mission but I’m only at the beginning but that doesn’t mean I don’t like it. I really have grown to love things here, especially the spirit. I also have grown to love many other things such as teaching this amazing true gospel, my "investigators," the lifestyle, P-DAY, GYM, and my awesome companion. He the nicest guy you’ll ever meet, very down to earth and he always keeps me staying positive by telling me ridiculous stories that sometimes I don’t believe even happened haha. The only thing that I truly am starting to hate here is the food. IT’S TERRIBLE. At first it was just like any other food, and actually pretty good the first few days, but after 3 weeks of the same thing over and over and over again....I really think they put stuff in the food. Haha That’s about the only thing I really hate. Everything else is pretty good :0  One thing I love most is temple day which is every P-day. I actually just got back from it. It’s really nice being able to go once a week. I never really thought how important going to the temple was but now that I’m going once a week, I’m starting to realize. I really want to challenge you guys to go as much as you can. Try going just once a week. If you do this I can promise you you’ll start to see things more clearly. Whenever I go I always feel so much happier and you really start to notice things with a different perspective and attitude. I also feel a lot closer to my Heavenly Father. Anyway everything is great here. Missions are rad. I love and miss all of you guys and would love to hear from you guys. Have a great week everyone!

Love, Elder Thomas

Muito Bem everyone! 2nd week here in the MTC and things have been a little hectic but so far everything is going fine. The language is probably the hardest thing ever! haha I guess its said to be the 5th most hardest language ever or something. So far my companion and I have had to teach 4 investigators and so now we have probably taugh 8 lessons...all in Portuguese! The investigator we taught a few days ago said yes to baptism. They’re not suppose to do that because they’re actually going to be our teachers after I guess but he said that the spirit in there was so strong that he couldn't say no. So that was a huge blessing! Prayers work everyone I promise haha.  I love and miss everyone. I hope all of you are doing well. I’ll be sure to tell you a little more next week but I have to rush this email because of time. Keep e-mailing please!

Love, Elder Thomas

Tudo Bem everyone! My 1st week here in the Provo MTC and everything is great here. The language is tough and my teacher doesnt speak a bit of English but I guess that’s how you learn! So far we have already taught 4 lessons in Portuguese to an investigator so that was fun.

To all my friends that told me there was a cream soda tree....I hate you. :) haha There’s so many rumors that get passed around about the MTC and none of them are true!! Haha I knew it. The food here is seriouly so good. It’s all you can eat too so I guess you could say I’ve gained a few pounds which I personally didn’t would be possible. My companion is a character haha! I love him and he has some of the funniest stories I’ve ever heard. Days here literally feel like weeks. It feels like forever here, especially because I’ll be in here for another 6 weeks! I’m glad I’m here and I’m glad I’ve got to experience everything I’ve experienced so far. Its pretty cool to see the changes in yourself even though it’s only been a few days. I’ll be sure to tell you guys more next week! Eu amo voces! Tchau. 

Love Elder Thomas