I made it! We got up bright and early last Monday morning at 3 am(muito difícil haha), so we could get to the travel office by3:50am. A lot of the elders in our zone woke up as well to walk us to the office and to say goodbye. It was very nice of them, and I feel blessed to have made so many good friends at the MTC. It was sad to say goodbye, but I know that we are all going to do great things on our missions!
So to get to Portugal (and to my area of Leiria), I took a bus, the Frontrunner, the Trax, a normal plane from Salt Lake to Chicago, a GIGANTIC plane from Chicago to Frankfurt, a normal plane to Porto, a car to the mission home, the subway, a big bus, and finally walked forty minutes to our apartment. haha.
I´m happy that we only had five people in our travel group, because I feel like it would have been stressfull to be responsible in bringing more than that through all the airports. While at the Salt Lake Airport, my debit card wasn´t working when I tried to pay for my baggage. The lady that was helping me told me to call the bank to figure it out. So I did, and it was an automated message that was saying something about 1800 dollars overdue or something like that. By this point I was very stressed out so I just hung up (haha), and told the airport lady that I was going to use my mission funds to pay for my bags ( which was going to be 100 dollars), This would mean that I wouldn´t really have any money for this next month to buy groceries or anything. A tender mercy that happened was that the worker told me not to worry about it, that she would let me have my bags for free. Such a tender mercy for me! Another tender mercy: I was able to call my parents in the airport, so we could figure everything out. I was already planning on calling in the airport because the MTC said we could, but this ordeal made the phonecall even more special for me. It was so nice to be able to hear my mom and dad´s voices.
Nothing too cool happened in the chicago airport.
We took one of those double decker planes to Frankfurt, however, there were three rows ( one row of three on the left, a row of four in the middle, and one row of three on the right), and I was in the very middle, squished between two people. It was so claustrophobic, and I couldn´t even see the ocean while we were flying haha.
The Frankfurt Airport was probably the scariest airport I´ve ever been in haha. It was gigantic, and everything was in German. None of us really knew where we were going, and we didn´t really know where our gate was haha. But, we survived! While in the airport, I tried to talk to the older lady next to me, but soon found out that she only spoke russian! so our conversation didn´t last too long lol.
By the time we were on the airplane to Porto, we had been up for over 24 hours straight. Needless to say, I was asleep for the two hour flight to Porto haha. Also, the time changes really messed all of us up, because I didn´t know what day it was!
When we arrived, me and one of the other missionaries were attempting to talk to a lady on the plane ( who spoke German, and Portuguese). We didnt get very far, but we told her that we were missionaries. She said she believed in Christ as well, which was very good. While we were getting our luggage, I remembered that I had bought a German Book of Mormon in the MTC just in case, so I ran to give it to her. It didn´t end well haha. We´ll just leave it at that. I still have the German Book of Mormon if I ever need it in the future :).
At the airport, we met our mission president and his wife, the Amorims. The are very nice, and were very welcoming. They were with two other new missionaries who are native speakers from Africa, and had just arrived from the MTC in Spain.
From here, they showed us the mission home, and took us to our hotel (because we would be staying in a hotel for the next day before we started).
Guess what our first meal in Portugal was: McDonalds!
And our second meal: Pizza hut! I felt right at home haha. The day after we arrived, we had a sort of orientation to the mission, and met our new companions/ trainers. There was one native speaker as a trainer, and he was assigned to me! Elder Cardenuto, from São Paulo Brasil. At first I was scared because I didn´t think he knew any english, but it turns out that he is pretty fluent. I know that I am going to learn Portuguese very quick from him, but also because I believe in the gift of tongues. He arrived in the mission in March, and isn´t afraid to talk to anyone.
After being assigned to our companions, it was time to leave, and say goodye to Elders Ozuna, Pratt, Boyle, and Sister Shephard. Now that I think about it, I don´t think I said goodbye to them :/, because everything was happening so fast.
It took two hours on bus to get to our area (Leiria), and then we had to walk 50 minutes to our apartment (which is at the top of a gigantic hill haha).
This week has been a blur. I know it´s cliche, but the first person we talked to for real, I couldnt understand ANYTHING, it was not the Portuguese do MTC haha. Over the course of the week, I have been able to understand a little bit more, but I have a LONG ways to go. I can form simple sentances, but I can´t have a conversation yet. But I know that within a few weeks, I will be so much better.
We passed many days this week knocking doors, and handing out invitations to a ward activity. But no new investigators. That is until friday! I had been praying that we would find at least one person that day, because I was getting discouraged wtih the lack of progress and all the walking in the heat. Friday night, we had an appointment with a man named Edy ( a current investigator that Elder Cardenuto hadnt told me about haha). Edy brought his friend with him ( whos name is also Edy). So we taught the new Edy about the Book of Mormon. well, Elder Cardenuto did most of the talking haha. But at the end, I felt strongly that I should bear my testimony. I did, and I felt like I was able to convey my feelings in Portuguese pretty well. We gave him the Book of Mormon, and challenged him to read it. I hope he does! It was a neat experience!
I was also praying that day that me and my companion would be able to be more unified and get along a little bit better. During the day while we were walking, I felt impressed to ask him to tell me his life story in Portuguese. He did, and he got very personal with the trials in his life. I had no idea that he had gone through so much. I felt like we became closer through this conversation.
I know that through these two experiences, that God listens to our prayers. Not only does he listen, but he answers them as well. I know that he is interested in the details of our lives and loves all of us very much. I want so much to be able to teach this to the people of Portugal in their own language, so I am going to to ry even harder to learn portuguese. I know that through the Lord, I can do this.
We went to our ward yesterday, and the members are so nice and welcoming! I didnt know waht they were saying to me, but I could feel their kindness. I was asked to bear my testimony during sacrament meeting, and afterwards so many people came up to me and told me that my portuguese is already so good. Im not sure I believe them, but I appreciated their kindness. So many people came up to me and told me "bemvindos" ( welcome).
We ate at two members homes already, and I already can tell that htey love Baculha(?) which is codfish.
Something interesting about Portugal is that most people dry their clothes on hanglines, including us! I was a little taken aback at first, because Portugal is very modern. But I think I like it. It´s something unique and interesting.
From what I´ve seen of my area so far, Leiria isn´t the most ancient of cities in Portugal. Lots of apartments and streets. But its beautiful nonetheless. I´ll be hear for three transfers probably, so until the beginning of Janunary I think. Theres a castle here, so we are going to visit in next week.
As you can probabkly tell from teh long email, we have a lot more time to email than in the MTC!
Something that I found out was that we only get to see our actual snail mail letters every three months wehn we go down to Porto :/. But, feel free to send me letters and packages still, because it will be afun surpise in three months haha:
Rua de Amália Luazes, Nº 23, Sala I
4200-052 PortoPortugal
I´m going to send my pictures in another email, because that´s easier haha.
They are from our last Sunday at the MTC. THe big group picture is of our zone in the MTC ( people going to Portugal, Cape Verde, Mozambique, and Boston). Some pictures are of our district, those going to Portugal, those going to the Porto mission, and then random ones of that day haha. Theres a picture of our huge plane, the view from our room at the hotel, pictures in the city of Porto( but not in Leiria yet).
I love you all so, so, so much! I look forward to all of your emails every week! Estou animado para servir em Portugal agora, e eu sei que Deus vai ajudar-me! E Eu sei que Deus ama voces, e que Ele escuta!
Sinto Falta de Voces ( I miss you all)!
Até a Proxima Semana
Com Muito Amor,
Elder Barker
