2/27/17 - "Be Mormon and be happy"

Well this week was a good one! It was the last week of the transfer so we went extra hard! We actually found someone and entered and taught the first lesson! It was so different from what I have been use to over the past 11 weeks here! I got the “Transfer” call and I am leaving Tavira and headed to Alverca and will be the district leader there! I’m really excited! Alverca is on the outskirts of Lisbon which means there will be a lot people!  What is really weird about this was that 3 weeks ago I had a dream and woke up and looked at Elder Taggart and said, "I had a dream I’m going to serve in Alverca!" Now it has happened and I feel it is inspired! 

The best news of the whole week was that I am now an uncle to 6 nephews!!! Welcome to the family Luke Peterson!!!  

We had stake conference and President Tavares spoke. He said something that was really simple but really powerful. He said, "Be Mormon and be happy!" At first I thought, "What is this?" But then I thought about it and realized it is so true. We have the knowledge that there really is a way to return and live with Pai Celetial e Jesus Cristo e nossa familias!!!! No matter how low we are in the hole, we can always find our way out through faith, repentance, baptism with the Holy Ghost and enduring the end. This gospel truly does bring happiness.  So yes, I stand with the statement, "Be Mormon and be happy!" It doesn’t mean that our lives will be all sunshine and rainbows...we will have heart ache and trouble and trials but it’s how we respond to those problems that will determine our happiness! 

Well, I’ve learned a lot from serving in Tavira!  FICA BEM

-Elder Herrmann

Beautiful Tavira

Big dog!

Last night with Elder Taggart (drinking Coke)

2/20/17 - My mission is dope!

It’s been another great week here in Tavira!  As far as the work goes it still really slow. It’s been three weeks since we have entered a home and taught a lesson.  I feel like I’ve grown closer to God through prayer and fasting ... lots of prayers and fasting and have thought of some new ideas to find people. It’s still all good because every day I wake up and think....I’m in freaking in Portugal ....in the Algarve of Portugal!!! What a blessing! Next week is transfers so I am excited to see what will happen! 

This week was really special, we had a member of the presidency of the Seventy come talk with us. His name is Elder Ulysses Soares and he is from Brazil and actually was a mission president in Portugal. He spoke to us for 4 hours and to be honest I could’ve gone for 7 more hours it was so amazing and so powerful! My favorite part was when he talked about how we really are REPRSENTITIVES of Jesus Christ! Like that is so dope! 

Something funny was this week for Valentine ’s Day my comp and I went to a sushi restaurant. Tavria being a tourist town everyone in the streets was walking two by two and all lovely dovey. Too late my comp and I realized that it felt weird for us, hahahahahaha it was really funny.

This week I’ve been thinking and studying a lot about the atonement of Christ! It really is my favorite topic because it brings such hope and happiness to know that we are not lost! In a way the atonement is a “PASS” or “ESCAPE” for us. Christ loves us so much and wants us to come back to him so why don’t we use this “PASS”? One easy way for me to think of the atonement is:  When we get judged God will pull out this huge book labeled "Chase’s Sins" and it’s going to have every single one of my sins from my life. Then Jesus will pull out this other book labeled “Jesus’s Sins” but there is nothing in it because he is perfect and without sin.  The justice of God will demand something like, “Well you tried your best and did everything you could but you didn’t make it.” Then Jesus will come and say, “No, he tried with all of his heart so we will do this and show mercy. Then Christ will take the “Chase’s Sins” label and pull it off my book and put it on his and then Jesus will put his label on my book. Thus meaning I am clean of all of my sins because he paid the price and I have really tried with my whole heart to follow him and repented.

It just seems simpler to understand when I think about it like that! We just need to try our hardest to follow Christ and the atonement Christ will save us! There is a quote I love which says, “Christ doesn’t make up the difference, he IS the difference!" We are never lost.... just off track sometimes and we need to find the path that leads us back to him! And through His grace we will be saved!

I love my mission, its dope!

-Elder Herrmann

With our Branch President!

With Vasco!

2/13/17 - Growing & Learning

This week was good! I just want to give a shout out to k-dog (Keri Herrmann) for the sweet package—loved it! We had interviews with the President this week and it was so amazing!! He told our zone serving in Algarve this story about how we learn more with hardship... because Algarve is the hardest zone other than the Açores. He said imagine if 2 elders went to the same country, spoke the same language, and everything was the same except...one elder had an area with a crazy amount of baptisms, like lining up the door lessons every day.  And the other elder had a really hard and difficult mission with very unresponsive people where he had to rely on the Lord. He told us that the latter missionary would come away with more...through hardships we grow...when we leave our comfort zone we grow! He asked us what our purpose was as missionaries and we told him, “To invite others to come unto Christ.” He agreed and added, “Our purpose is to have missionaries return home to be strong leaders and members of our church.” I have thought about it and realize that God can do anything he wants.  He could give everyone the opportunity to hear his gospel...we aren’t really helping God to go on a mission, he is helping us. I am so grateful for the opportunity to invite others to come unto Christ AND to grow here on my mission so I can return and try to be a faithful member! I loved hearing President Tavares talk about his mission and would have loved to see him work. Also, Sister Tavares spoke about her mission experiences.  I couldn’t have been more blessed with my mission president and his wife, I love them so much!

As far as the work goes this week, it was really really slow. We didn’t teach one lesson or enter one house. I’ve never worked so hard to see such poor results. I guess I’m definitely learning and growing this transfer! I’m praying a golden investigator will pop up this week (or any type of investigator)!

There was a ton of rain. It rained hard every day and there was flooding.  We spent the whole day helping people get their cars through the water.  It was fun to help people! 

I have been loving reading the Book of Mormon.  I am trying to finish it before Ulysses Soares of the Seventy comes this Friday to speak to us! Relating to what President Tavares taught us, I love in Alma when it talks about changing your heart and how when you really have a change of heart you will no longer desire to do that sin again. I really want to have that kind of “change of heart” on my mission so I will no longer desire to sin and be changed. Also, I always love Helaman 5:12 talking about building our foundation on Christ. I want to have that strong foundation so when temptations come I can stay strong in the faith and not fall.

Today we went to Lagos (Paradise of Portugal)! It was the coolest thing ever...I definitely want to visit here again!  Sorry for the picture overload. I love you guys all so much! Have the best week ever!

-Elder Herrmann