11/13/17 - Taking upon us the name of Christ

This week was amazing!! First off, I went to the mission office and slept there Monday night. Then Tuesday I met up with my new comp Elder Egbert.  We got to Mem Martins and then went to the airport to pick up the new missionaries (see photos.)  It was fun to see them all confused and I remembered back to that busy and strange first day in Lisbon. We all then headed to the mission home and had dinner with them. 

The next day was super busy.  We had a mission conference and the visiting General Authorities Elder Stephen W. Owen and Elder Devin G. Durrant spoke to us.  It was excellent!  Some of the points I loved were:  

"Learn to get through things, not out of things."  

"At home we have jobs. But here we are at work."  

"It matter's not where you start on the mission, but where you end."  

"A mission is more of a process than an event."

One cool thing about my change is that we are in a house of 4 elders and one is named Elder Isaiah Galland.  So it turns out we are from the same stake in Utah.  His family moved into our neighborhood there recently and our houses are a few blocks from each other.  Crazy! Yep, four people in my home stake are here in this mission!  He is really cool and a great missionary!

The best part of the week would definitely be our daily meetings with President and Sister Tavares.  They are so awesome!  They are like our parents.  They are so easy- going around us and love us so much. I really do feel their love for me and its the best experience being around them. I love their examples and their wise advice about life.  I've learned that we have to be really thoughtful and prayerful about what we propose to president because he totally trusts us and usually will implement what we suggest.  It's pretty stressful!  We just planned a lot this week and I learned so many things about running the mission.  

As for our own area, we only have about 2 hours at the end of each day to work in it.  And miraculously, with that little amount of time, we already have people preparing for baptism. We are working with members and getting referrals.  It's such a more effective way to work.  We are teaching a couple of people right now. One of them is named Edlim.  She is from Guinea Bissau and has had a really hard life, but we are seeing great progress from her. 

Today (P Day), we had a fun road trip and drove down to my old area in the Algarve.   We will be training some new leaders there for a couple of days.  We even had a barbecue on one of the beaches.  Man I love the Algarve.  I'm going to miss it.  

The spiritual thing I learned this week would be from my personal study on "what does it mean to "take upon us the name of Christ." In the scriptures these verses in Mosiah 5 address this.  "And we are willing to enter into a covenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a never-ending torment, as has been spoken by the angel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God." 

This is our covenant when we are baptized and what we get in return for taking upon us the name of Christ and doing our part is in verses 8 and 9. 

"8 And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.
9 And it shall come to pass that whosoever doeth this shall be found at the right hand of God, for he shall know the name by which he is called; for he shall be called by the name of Christ."

If we do our part and take the name of Christ upon us, acting as He would act, being obedient in all things to the end of our lives, we will have salvation at the last day and be found at the right hand of God.  I am trying everyday to fulfill my part of this covenant and I know that through Christ, these promises are true. 

Amo Vocês!
- Elder Herrmann