This week Elder Doxey and I have been super busy. This week we had to go to Lisboa for my residency here in Portugal. We took a 3 hour bus ride to Lisboa and spent the night at the mission office. Then in the morning I and an Elder who came with me in from the MTC, Elder Bianucci, went with an office Elder to go do our residency. All we had to do was sign a couple papers and stamp our fingerprints. Then we went back to Beja for 3 hours to work. We then had to take another 3 hour bus ride to Faro for a leadership meeting with the President. So this week we have spent a lot of time on the bus ha-ha. I now know how you feel dad when you travel all the time, it’s very tiring.
We have also been working really hard to get more people in church and the work has paid off. This Sunday we had 47 people in church and that’s amazing!!! We usually get an average of 31. We were also very excited because there is a family we are working with right now Mom (Ftima) Dad (Nunu) Daughter (Christiana) Son (Nunu jr) and all of them came to church. It is very possible that we can baptize this family in a couple of weeks. Fatima has a lot of interest in the church and now that Nunu came to church he is starting to like church and has an interest to learn more. I am so happy for this family. I can see how to light of Christ has helped them in their life. When we first started to teach them Nunu and Fatima would always fight and Nunu was thinking of divorcing Fatima. But we have talked with them and now that they can feel the Spirit in their lives they have gotten a lot better. That’s one of my favorite parts about being a missionary; it is seeing people’s lives getting better with the gospel in their lives. We also had a less active come to church as well (Alexandra). We have been trying to get her to go to church ever since I arrived here in Portugal. AND SHE FINALLY CAME!!!!! She told us that she wants to start coming back to church because she is noticing the difference without the church in her life. This made us so happy. She also has a 12 year old son (Alexandre) who is not baptized yet who wants to. So we are working with them. We actually have a lesson with them tonight so wish us luck.
So next week is transfers and I think I might be leaving but I don’t know so if you wanted to send anything send it to the mission office, I will get it eventually. If I leave I will sure miss Beja it’s my Portugal home. But if I go I will get to see more of Portugal and I am excited about that. I hope all of you are having a fun life and are always happy. I know I am. I love you all so much.
With all my love,
Elder Rusnell
Helaman 15:7 And behold, ye do know of yourselves, for ye have witnessed it, that as many of them as are brought to the knowledge of the truth, and to know of the wicked and abominable traditions of their fathers, and are led to believe the holy scriptures, yea, the prophecies of the holy prophets, which are written, which leadeth them to faith on the Lord, and unto repentance, which faith and repentance bringeth a change of heart unto them--