3/26/18 - Bold & Confident

What a busy crazy week! This transfer is only 5 weeks long instead of 6 because President Tavares has a conference with other mission presidents on the 6th week which makes everything super rushed.

This week we did workshops with every district in the mission and were on the road all week, getting home late and just going to bed because we were so exhausted. On Tuesday President Tavares called and told us that because of the 5 week transfer the zone conferences would start next Monday. We freaked out a little because we had to prepare for our zone conference training to the mission but had no time because of workshops. We got to our regular Sunday night meeting with President and Sister Tavares and none of us had had time to prepare. President then said, “Well let’s receive revelation right now.” Literally, I don’t know how but in one hour all 4 of us had our topics and material for what we are going to do in the upcoming days. It made me think a lot about the scripture in Nephi 3:7, "I will go and do the things the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." We really tried during the week to think about our training for zone conference but didn’t have any time....but we knew that the Lord would provide a way for us to do our calling. And he did! This is a great thing that I learned this week that l hope to never forget.

I will do my training on how to mark people for baptism with boldness. I am really excited and I have learned so much about boldness. I love the story in Alma where Ammon teaches King Lamoni. He was 100 percent bold and confident about his message and the doctrine of Christ.  We as members of God’s true church need to be bold and confident in his doctrine knowing that we have the resorted gospel on the earth--always looking to share this message whether missionary or non-missionary.

This week we had 2 hours to work in our area. During that time we saw Maria, our miracle from last week. She is like our grandma, we will knock on her door and she’ll open it saying, "WHY ARENT YOU BOYS WEARING A JACKET! YOULL GET A COLD!" She always loves to talk. We saw these big boards that needed to be hauled up several floors to her apartment. She said that her husband was getting someone to help him. (Her husband is atheist and doesn’t want to talk to us and doesn’t like us talking to Maria.)  We told Maria that while he’s gone we’ll do it. She was refusing and refusing but we were stubborn and just did it. The next day we returned and knocked on the door, her husband opened it....we instantly got prepared for him to freak out at us but he looked at us and smiled and said, "Come on in!" We couldn’t believe it.  He also listened to the lesson and supported Maria in our teaching. I learned that service and thinking of others will soften hearts.

We are heading down to the Algarve to start the zone conferences. It should be a blast! You know, the mission really is the good life.  Even though challenging, it’s so rewarding.  I like it so much. It is always pushing me to become a better person and overcome challenges and the natural man.

Remember, God loves us and wants the best for us. If we want to know His will for us we need to search the scriptures and we will find it. Love you!

-Elder Herrmann 

3/19/18 - Smashing the Glass Elephant

Wow, what a great and incredibly fun week! I am super happy, the mission really has hit full stride for me and it’s just a great ride now.

So much happened this week.  Being the first week of the transfer and having a new comp there was a lot of training and a lot of meetings and planning sessions—and all of it was great!

Elder Smith is great! He is from Dallas Texas and is a champ. He doesn’t even have a full year in the mission but is killin’ it!  We had our first day of picking up the new missionaries from the airport and taking them to the mission home. This group was really small, only 2 elders. Because of that, we got to the mission home about 2 hours before dinner.  So we all joined President Tavares on a walk to all the beautiful sights near the mission home in Belem (or in English "Bethlehem"). It was fun translating and being the tour guide for these beautiful monuments in Portugal. The two missionaries were walking around with their mouths open in awe. The rest of the night was good and the dinner was great as always.

The next day we had training for the new missionaries and it went well. We also had the missionary council where we discussed what it means to be a leader. We talked about the two sides of leadership; administering and ministering -- there is a big difference between those two. To be a leader we need to learn to do both of them while we lead.  President Tavares’ message was really good. He got out this beautiful glass elephant and put it in the middle of the table.  He told us he loves that elephant....but it’s a problem.  He then picked up a hammer a smashed it!  He used the scriptures and this object lesson to teach that at times we have a problem, but we “like” the problem.  We aren’t willing to kill the problem right then and there. When faced with a temptation or a prolonged problem that “we like”, we need to stop it fast. It was a memorable lesson.

Our mission is doing this amazing thing called “the 40 day mission fast”. Basically everyday this transfer, one or two areas will be fasting for the whole mission to have success and for miracles to happen. We got all the areas organized and everyday are receiving calls reporting miracles. Can I just say that God is a god of miracles? Our theme for this effort is Mormon 9:15, “And now, O all ye that have imagined up unto yourselves a god who can do no miracles, I would ask of you, have all these things passed, of which I have spoken? Has the end come yet? Behold I say unto you, Nay; and God has not ceased to be a God of miracles.”   It’s so true.... the miracles have not ceased.

With that, we have had a miracle happen in our own area. We were knocking on doors when this woman came to the door.  Her name is Maria.  She opened the door and said, "I have been waiting for you guys to knock on my door! I tried many times to get into your church but it was always locked. So I have been praying you guys would come."  We went in and taught her about the restoration and in the end, when we invited her to be baptized, she said, "I believe firmly in Jesus Christ, but for some reason I also have a lot of trust in you guys, I know that what you say is true and I need to be baptized." I could not believe it!  What a miracle!  She is scheduled for baptism the last day of March! :) 

Man, I am super happy. I love the mission. It’s so amazing how I have come to love this place and these people.

I love you all, until next week. 

-Elder Herrmann

3/12/18 - Keeping the momentum going

Wow, what an amazing week! This was the last week of the transfer and Elder Egbert will leave and go to Faro! I am super excited for him! My new comp will be Elder Smith. He was the office executive and has about a year in the mission. He’s awesome and we'll work great together. It’s a little nerve-racking now that I will be training him on how to assist the president. It will be stressful and a learning experience but I am way excited! 

This week we did a lot of preparing for the transfers and we planned how we’re going to keep the momentum going forward in the mission

With the little time we had left, Elder Egbert and I wanted to baptize one last time together. We were thinking of any possibility and then we remembered Nelson (yes, another Nelson). He is a 10 year old boy and his mom is a recent convert of about 8 months. They moved here from Angola. Nelson and his mom always go to church but he was never baptized. His dad in Angola is Catholic and hates our church. The first miracle was that the dad was in town this weekend…2nd miracle was that he let us even talk to him…3rd miracle was that we went in there and for some strange reason we just said with boldness, "Look, your son needs to be saved and enter on this path with his mom, and we can do the baptism tomorrow, can we have your blessing?” He looked at us in silence then said, "Yeah, I think that’s fine."  WHAT!?!?! Months ago we called him and asked for permission to baptize his son and he started yelling at us on the phone. I am a true believer that God really does establish a way for his children to come unto to Christ and be baptized! So Nelson was baptized on Sunday! Elder Freeman (the other elder in our house who has only been in Portugal 5 weeks) baptized him. It was great!! 

The spiritual thing I learned this week was more about Christ’s atonement.  I am so grateful for the sacrifice that Christ made for me and all of us. It was not just physical pain but also spiritual pain and suffering! D&C 19 “For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent…Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.  I am Jesus Christ; I came by the will of the Father, and I do his will.” There is nothing I love more than this gift and this promise.

Today was an amazing p-day! We went to Setubal, an abandoned military base.  It had cannons and turrets and everything! We also went to an abandoned mansion and then to some caves. The pdays here in Portugal are always great.

I am loving my mission and serving the Lord.  I’m trying everyday to do my best. Love you all!

 - Elder Herrmann

SaveSaveSaveSave
SaveSave

3/5/2018 - Highs and lows

Man time is flying by! This week had highs and lows. The hardest thing this week happened Thursday morning when we went to our last zone conference in Lisbon and we got a call from Finda (one of our recent converts). She was screaming and crying saying her baby (Kelly) had died that morning. The whole conference we were thinking of her and when the conference ended went right to her house.  It was really sad.  We talked to her about eternal families. I am so grateful for this gospel and the assurance that I will live with my family again and that it’s a part of God’s plan. The viewing and funeral were rough and really sad, but Finda is super strong. It was amazing to see how the Lord prepared her for this day through learning about the gospel and eternal families. I have only been to one funeral before my mission and it was when I was younger so the whole experience was new to me. I feel that my testimony was strengthened through this whole experience.

We finally ended all of our conferences this week. They went great!  We are now on to the last week of work and preparations before the transfers. Elder Egbert has served his time as AP and next week I’ll get a new comp for the next 2 transfers.   It will be weird with a new comp because Elder Egbert and I have been together for 4.5 months now and I will miss him. But hey, I am excited for the future!

The highlight of the week was the wedding and the baptism of Paula and Nilton! It was truly so special to see them married and baptized, they are now on the path and are guiding their children in righteousness. This was the only baptism where I wasn’t nervous they would arrive... I knew they would. And they did! It was a great baptismal service and they were so happy!

Lots of business here but it’s a good time. I love our meetings and conversations with President and Sister Tavares every Sunday--they really help me so much and I learn a lot from them!

The spiritual thing I learned this week was the importance of starting my day off with a sincere prayer. Morning prayer is always super hard for me, it is hard to focus...but when I start the day off with real intent, speaking with my Father in Heaven, my day goes so much better.

Today for pday we played paintball in the mud during the morning and it was super fun. Afterward, Elder Egbert and I went with sister Tavares to do a little shopping.   Man, we learned a lot about fashion and buying things.  It was really fun.

The gospel is true!  Families are forever! Love to my Grandma who is in the hospital.

- Elder Herrmann