Pictures from Nov. 11, 2014

 Great selfie with our investigator, Irene

Me with my main man, Thomas, before he went 

To go fishing for a week

Pictures!

 It's been a long time since he has had yummy drinks!

With Elder Ricci & Antonio Oliveira

Fuzzy Christmas socks

Advent calendar with scriptures from family & friends

Fun nativity 

Weekly Miracles!!

Hello everyone well this week I truly felt the spirit testify to my heart of the truthfulness and power of our message and our purpose here as missionaries.  I receive this actually through the experience told by a few of our investigators as the Spirit witnesses to both of them in powerful ways.  Luisa and Biatriz are two moms of very beutiful families.  Biatriz is about 35 and Luisa is about 40ish we started teaching luisa who later brought her friend over Biatriz to attend our lessons which was awesome.  (I love it when investigators do missionary work!)  Luisa was always vey receptive and open to hear our lessons and accept our commitments.  Biatriz although very nice and liked us a big amount did not really feel like she was ready to change her beliefs but she also was happy to read from the book of mormon and pray.  We had been teaching them for about two months every few days or so but this last week was amazing.  Biatriz was talking and said I have to tell you something Elders... tears began to fall from her eyes and from mine as she began to explain to us her powerful experience with the Spirit that truly touched her burned within her heart.  Filling her with the goodness of the Gospel, touching her in a way that she described she has never felt before and that all she wanted to do was to share this with others.  The Spirit filled the room as our member embraced her with a giant smile and also with tears.  As Biatriz came around and was able to talk again we we talking to Luisa about baptism and challenged her to be baptized.  She talked about how every page she has read something has told her that she needs to be baptized, just as Elder Ricci was mid sentence of giving luisa a baptism date, Biatriz interupted and said the words that I have been longing so much to hear... Luisa, Elders, I want to be baptized.  Tears once again fell from my eyes as the Spirit testified of the truthfulness of it all.  Of the Saviors sacrifice, of he amazing Atonement, of His restored gospel here on the earth today, of the power of the book of mormon,  it was all manifiested once again to me in that very moment so powerfully but yet so softly and sweet.  Luisa and Biatriz are both marked to be baptized on the 6th of December.  They both have beautiful families that will also be wonderfully blessed by their decision.  

My friends, God is a God of mircales, He can soften hearts of stone, lift fallen spirits, and heal our troubled hearts.  This mission is the most important thing that I could be doing right now.  It is changing me in ways I don't have words to explain.  Being apart of this is such a privilege and I would not choose to be anywhere else.  I love the Lord.  I love this work.  I love all of you so much.  you are in my prayers to be happy supported through your trials and doubts.  You have a Father in Heaven and a Savior Jesus Christ.  What reason do we not have to rejoice.  Have a wonderful week and be happy cheerful and be sure to be especially "grateful!"

Com muito amor 

Elder Eldredge

How can you build ZION better in your hearts and in your homes?

Hey once again!  I am sorry I let my time get away from me today during e mail so this letter will be fairly short and brief.  This weekend we had the wonderful opportunity to hear from Elder Quinten L Cook.  he came and talked to just the missionaries on Satduay and was at our stake conference on SUnday!  It was great to hear is words and the blessing that he left with us was amazing!  Konow that you all at home a many promised blessings from an a apostle of the Lord!  It was truly incredible and focused on building Zion in our hearts and in our homes being the most important things we can do.  So my challenge for all of you.... how can you build ZION better in your hearts and in your homes?  

You are awesome people and I hope that you are all doing well with all the coming and goings of life especially as we come closer to the holiday season!  This week has been good and my patience is definitely getting tried with one of our investigators right now as she is asking a lot of the members and from us and showing us very little willlingness to change in return.  BUt know that I am doing well and will send a better e mail next week!:)  

The Church is true, The Savior lives, the Book of Mormon works miracles.  I love you all very much!:)

Love Elder Eldredge

I have felt His Mercy, I have been changed by His Love

Hey everybody, well this past week was the last week of the transfer and it flew by!  And the results of the transfers looks like I am going to be staying here in Póvoa but as the new district leader with Elder Ricci at least one more transfer!  It is going to be awesome!  Elder Ricci is such a great example of humility and love to me and genuine happiness!  It is awesome to serve with him!  Well, it is getting colder and colder and rainier and rainier here and it is also the humid cold that isn't very fun!  I got kind of sick this past weekend but we had appointments that were important and so we went ahead and worked anyways and even know I was down in the dumps I know that the Savior made up the rest and I came to the end of the week feeling a peace in my heart knowing that I did my best.  

We had a good week with our investigators in church and our members are doing a wonderful job in helping them feel welcomed.  Many of them are on the road to baptism and are just fighting against the addictions that are holding them down.  It is such a sad thing to see people in addiction.  I want to help them so bad but I can't do it for them.  I have never been addicted to tobacco so I honestly have no idea what it is like to try and overcome that.  But what we try to help our investigators know is that He knows.  Jesus Christ descended below all things in that He could comprehend all things.  That He could lift all others when they fall, that he can lead us through the darkness because He has been there before.  He has experienced ALL.  Absolutely everything.  He is the only Being in this universe that knows each one of us perfectly.  He can and will deliver us from our struggles and circumstances as we turn our backs on our ungodly habits change our hearts and think as He thought, do as He did and be as He was.  I truly cannot comprehend the greatness of it all or how He was able to do it.  But what I can say and what I do know is that He did.  I don't have any doubt in this world that He did.  I have felt His mercy, I have been changed by His love, I am seeing LIVES being changed through Him.  His power is real.  It is the most real power that I know and I know that we can all feel it, as we seek Him in our day to day.  His hand is outstretched, our choice is whether we do what is necessary to take it or not.   

I love you all!  Stay warm stay healthy with the cold season coming in and remember the Savior and his Atonement.  Always.

With much love,

Elder Brandon Eldredge

"I felt like a preacher in the olden days!"

Hey everybody again speaking here from the great old land of Portugal!  All is well here in Portugal and we had a very busy week this week which was a blessing and it seems to have flown by!  Well what to tell you all...  Well our investigators are coming along quite well and we should be seeing some baptisms here in the ward withing the next month if all goes well which will be awesome!  Thomas says all he wants is to be baptized and the only thing that is holding him back is tobacco which he has been addicted to since he was 12... so sad it really is crazy how early they start here!  We were on a bus the other day and all the kids got of to go to high school and all pulled out and lit up cigarettes.  I just don't know why and I just feel so bad for them!  BUt anywho Thomas set his own goal to be baptised on the 22 of this month!  I hope he can make it!  Also Andrea is still being crazy like usual.  Haha no she is awesome but she is just a little crazy but progressing none the less!  This week I had an experience where I felt like a preacher in the olden days.  We were talking to andrea and alll of a sudden like three other people come out and just start talking about Jesus and stuff and it was cool and then somehow I got to be the center of attention for the small crowd as I testified of the restoration of the gospel!  haha it was quite interesting but 3 of the four people that were there ended up going to church this week!  It was Pretty great!:)  Halloween here was not anything like it is there in the states I saw like too little groups in the enitre city the whole night of trick or treaters.  So nothing to out of the ordinary for halloween.  But It was a great week.  We were able to get a lot done and hopefully we will see the fruits of our labors here shortly.  We noticed changes in all of our investigators this week.  It was awesome but I noticed that all of the changes that they made did not come directly from words we said but I knew that it was the spirit telling them and influencing them as they studied the book of mormon and began to develop a desire to change.  It made me realize that in order for a true change of heart to occur in anyone on any occasion, the spirit needs to be present as well.  True change takes time and as we draw ourselves closer to God, He through his Holy Spirit, will whisper and influence us to change our hearts repent and become better and more obedient.  I have noticed that in me as throughout this week I have had a stronger desire to be 100 percent obedient.  It is hard but as I draw myself close to God he gives me motivation and desire to change which for me has been absolutely essential.  I have just felt my testimony deepen and increase this week.  Every day I felt stronger and more ready to work.  It has been awesome!  This gospel is so true!  It really is awesome to be there with an investigator and just see the atonement at work in the life of another person.  Elder Ricci continues to be an awesome companion for me!  He is so humble and ready to work.  Even though he is struggling with the language he gets up and works every day!  This next week is transfers but I am really hoping that I stay here again with Elder Ricci.  But the Lords will be done!  I hope you all had a great week and a happy halloween!  Man before we know it we are going to be on Christmas day!  It is starting to get really rainy here like today was just crazy rainy and windy!  I am for sure going to miss our snow out there in Utah all we get here is rain what I heard!  Anywho I am sorry this letter is not the most exciting i really should make little notes throughout the week because I always forget when I am in front of the comptuer!  I love you all and wish you all and awesome week!:)

Elder Brandon Eldredge!