Two month Summary Message from Merl

We have been in Portugal for two months now, and I believe it has taken that long to acclimate ourselves to our new lives.  Sister Egbert settled in more quickly than I did, and that’s because she doesn’t have to drive the car here.  There are hundreds of ‘round-a-bouts’ instead of stop signs and many very narrow ‘road’ ways, ofttimes, one-way streets because two cars cannot pass.  Their warning and information signs are somewhat different here than in the states, so I have had to learn those, too.  I am becoming more comfortable and am learning my way around.  Thank heavens for GPS units.  Portugal does have great freeways, and they are well maintained.

Learning the language is still a challenge for us.  It is coming slowly.  The greatest challenge is discerning what others are saying because of their accents.  It is different than in Brazil.  We still do not understand a whole lot of what they are saying at the pulpit, but, one-on-one we can usually get some understanding.  While reading, our word recognition is much better.

Our number one responsibility is to take care of all the missionaries in our areas.  We are their number one contact for health, apartment issues, travel, support, etc.  We are their parents. Our calling – “love the missionaries and take care of them.”  And “do good” in the area we serve.  We also support the Branch in which we live in whatever way we can.  We do assist with the support of reactivation, support of new members, and just becoming friends with the branch members.

This is a very different experience than the experiences we had in Brazil where we actually fulfilled callings in the branches in which we lived.

However, in both places, I have had several opportunities to use my building and repair skills. In Portugal, when something goes wrong in a rental apartment, the Landlord generally will not fix it.  So, as we have inspected the several apartments of the missionaries.  I have repaired electrical outlets, light fixtures, broken fans, closet doors, a broken bed, replaced shower heads, unclogged drains, inspected mold problems and given suggestions and solutions, etc.  You get the picture.

We do love the missionaries.  We feed them often and have a great association with them.  Again, as it is in Brazil, it is here!  We are so impressed with the quality, skills, knowledge, abilities and dedication of the missionaries. They are truly a chosen generation.  We have attended several convert baptisms with them.

We have been working with one young man for a month or so, who has been inactive and wanted to correct the wrongs in his life, including, word of wisdom, chastity, tithing, attendance, overcome feelings of being offended. His desire is to prepare to attend the temple one day.  In this month he has attended each Sunday and said he has given up smoking.  We have invited him 3-4 to our apartment with the missionaries for meals and spiritual thoughts.  We have become good friends with , and he is progressing well.  (He does not speak much English!)

This last week, we were given permission to travel to Madrid, Spain, and attend the temple there (a four day excursion).  We spent two days in Madrid and served in the temple from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, and 8:00 am to 5:30 pm respectively.  Some of the branch members also went, three of whom are actual temple workers.  They have specific weeks during the year in which they spend the whole week at the temple.  It is a 7-8-hour drive from Loulé, Portugal, where we are serving.

Also, we were joined by another missionary couple that traveled by train from the Lisbon area, Elder and Sister Powers.  What a wonderful experience this was.  The Madrid Temple is beautiful, and the Celestial Room is, in my opinion, the most beautiful one I have seen.  On the temple grounds is a building that houses the Distribution Center, the Family History Center, church offices and reception for the patron lodging.  The top two floors were for the MTC which was closed last week.  The small apartments for patrons who need overnight accommodations are small but very nice and quite inexpensive.  And they have a Costco in Madrid which we also attended!  Sister Egbert and Sister Powers made me do it.  That was costly!

Costco does have the least expensive gasoline (1.184 Euros per liter = $5.45 per gallon).  The cost of gasoline in Portugal is more expensive @ 1.63 Euros per liter ($7.50 per gal).  I drive a Toyota Yaris Hybrid provided by the mission at a cost to us of $150 per month.  The church pays for the gasoline except for personal use (like driving to the Madrid Temple).  We could not function in this call without a car.  Our area now is about 50 miles wide and 25 miles north to south (8 Elders and 4 Sisters).  In November, the Laytons (another couple) will return home and our area will expand to 100 miles wide and 25 miles N to S. with the addition of another set of Elders about 100 miles north of us to also be in our area. We will serve the south 1/4^th of Portugal (total of 8 Sisters and 14 Elders).  Most of the missionaries serve in the more populated areas North and coastal.  Because of all the beaches all along the southern coast, our area is very touristy.  We have taken a walk along the beach twice since we have been here.

Now, I will insert a spiritual insight as presented by President Fillmore, our Mission President.

He introduced the discussion of changes that occur in the church with change in leadership.  He counseled strongly, “Don’t misinterpret change!”  The church is and has been in a process of restoration since the beginning when it was organized in 1830.  In His church, the right men and women are called to positions at the right time and place to accomplish certain things.  He used the example of the vision given to Peter of the “clean” and “unclean” food.  This vision created a major change in The Church of Christ at that time.

We have a new mission President, also a new Prophet, and there are major changes taking place at this time, both in the Portugal mission and in the church as a whole.  There is some change in emphasis and organization.  These changes have been occurring all during the 188 years of the restoration and will continue until Christ comes – when all things will be restored.  This is the nature of restoration in these last days.  Again, “Do not misinterpret change.”

We believe in further light and knowledge!  We believe in continuing revelation to the Prophet of God on the Earth, whom ever He calls at any particular time.

Follow the prophets!  The laws and principles of the Gospel remain constant!  The manner in which they are administered can change to fulfill the purposes of God.

In my short seventy years upon this earth, I have witnessed many changes in the church – and they have been inspired of God.  If we cannot accept change as it is revealed to His servants – we cannot grow. Of this I bear my witness, and of the reality that we have living prophets who direct the affairs of this Church and Kingdom of God on the earth through continuing revelation at this time.

Elder and Sister Egbert

Portugal, Lisbão Mission