Olá Amigos e familia!!!

Como que vocês estão? Tudo bem? 

Well its pday again! Its crazy how fast the week flew by! This week has been pretty good. I am slowly but surely getting to my way around evora. All of the streets look the same though in most areas and its super easy to get lost! haha. We are working hard every day. I get home at night and kick off my shoes because my feet are so tired and i get to bed as fast as i can. You realize how important sleep is on your mission thats forsure!!

Eu posso entender mais e mais a língua de português cada dia. I can understand more and more portuguese every day. The thing we do most is walk around the streets and talk to everyone who walks past. basically its like olá, tudo bem? como se chama senhor? and introduce who we are and what we are doing and try to schedule an appointment at their house. As i said last week, the president made it a goal for the mission to get at least 20 street contacts like that every day. we get way over that every day haha last wednesday we hit 45. It was a super busy day. But on the weekends it seems like nobody is home or on the streets. Yesterday it was cloudy and started raining a little and it reminded me of the walking dead on the streets because nobody at all way outside. it was creepy.

we have had a rough week as far as investigators. all of the people we has been hoping would progress said we couldnt come back. We taught a girl named joanna and she accepted our message and said she would be baptized if God answered her prayer to see if this church is true. Well we went back a couple days later and her dad was like what are you trying to date my daughter? he threatened to call the cops on us!! crazy portuguese guy! so we had to give up on her.

the other night it was about 9:30 (we dont have to be back in the apartment until 9:30or 10 if we are in a lesson and we dont wake up until 7am which is nice) anyways it was night and we were walking back to our tiny house and in this alleyway theres a guy against the wall and he turns and said for us to wait.. me and my comp look at each other and we are like dude lets go hurry! and we start walking fast down the road and he runs after us and is like can you tell me about your church? i just need to talk to somebody because i want to kill myself.. anyways we talked and it was good but you could tell that guy was drunk out of his mind. i thought he was going to jump out in front of a car because he couldnt stop moving. he could barely walk haha. 

then the same thing happened the next night with another drunk guy. This place is creepy at night!

we have some people who are ready for baptism but need to be married first. hopefully they get married soon so we can dunk them!!! we have a family home evening tonight with them. Sadly no golden investigators yet!

Today i think we are going to go tour this huge ancient church thing. its super old looking. Its about 75 degrees over cast right now.. man i am sure suffering in this weather!! hahaha 

Serving a mission is hard and i miss you guys but its the best decision i have made in my life. I am becoming the missionary God needs me to be. 

Hope you all have a great week. Always remember who you are, and never forget that God is always there for you. 

love you all

com muito amor 

-- 

Élder Brandon Michael Haroldsen

A Igreja De Jesus Cristo Dos Santos Dos Últimos Dias 

OLA!

What up friends and family?! How are you all? Hows the United States?

Well I am here in PORTUGAL!!! ITS SO SO SO AMAZING!!! I love my mission so much!

So ill start by explaining everything that has happened this past week.

We left the MTC at 3:30AM. It was so hard to wake up after 3 hrs of sleep. We almost missed the time to leave because we slept through the alarm we had set for 2AM but luckily an Elder woke up and woke us all up at 3.. so we got dressed and ready in the dark, half asleep. We then got on a bus that took alot of us missionaries to a train station kinda by the girls house in Provo. It was sad to drive down the street and see the pawn shop and know we are so close to the house. So I fell asleep on the 45 min train ride to the SLC Airport. Then we had to check into the computers at the airport and my bags weighed 50lbs and 52lbs.. hopefully they didnt charge my credit card for a heavy bag haha. I then had a little bit of time to call my parents and had to go because we almost missed our flight. We then flew 4.5 hrs to JFK Airport in New York. The airport was huge! But it was in the middle of nowhere so we didnt see any buildings. The people there were SUPER RUDE! It was so different and crazy. So we were only there for like an hour and i had to get some food because I was starving. This is where i did my first contact. It was with a lady from Africa and she asked what we were doing and how our church was different from others. We explained the restoration of the Church and the priesthood and basically after that she just wanted to argue. The payphones wernt working to i was like i guess ill just call from France. So we flew 7.5 hrs and finally got to france. Longest flight ever just sitting there not being able to watch movies like American Sniper, Inside Out, or Fast and Furious 7 haha. Then in france the payphones were all in french and i couldnt understand and so i couldnt call. Sorry to all who were expecting a call!! We then flew 2 hrs to Portugal.. i slept again and woke up as we were flying over Lisbon. it was so amazing!!! When we landed some elders had lost their bags so they waited and the rest of us went down to meet the President and his AP´s. They were all waving Portugal flags and they were all super excited. It was so cool!! They presidents wife was taking pics of us on her ipad and it reminded me of home lol. then we went to meet our companions at the mission home and ate lunch and had interviewa with President Tavares. My companion is named elder eric lee from utah. He is a super cool guy and he speaks portuguese really well. President Tavares is such a wonderful guy!!! he reminds me exactly of tio vinicio in Ecuador. And his wife is just like yorye haha. The first night we got assigned to our areas. I got assigned to a small city called Évora. It is a new area for my comp and me. we are opening this area and taking the south side. There are two other elders on the north side. Our house is extremely small. there is no closets or anything so my stuff is still in my suitcase. There is an AC machine only in the room and the rest of the house is super hot. It is two stories but trust me its tiny tiny. especially for the four of us. We are a part of a small branch here in Évora. there is no leadership, so we are conducting every meeting. There are only about 12 active members on a good day. 

We are working hard though. President Tavares promised that if we make 20street contacts every day as a companionship, we will baptize this transfer. yesterday we got 30. It was a lot of work but we just talked to everybody we saw. Since we are both new, we are trying to figure out the area. This city is probably one of the oldest in portugal. its allllll cobblestone streets. and they are rough rocks sticking out so its tiring to walk on.. my feet kill by the end of the day!!

we have found a couple of people that seem intrested in the church. hopefully we can mark them down for a baptismal date. 

since there are only a few members, most meals are on our own.. ham and cheese sandwiches or cereal basically. yeah we go hungry. but thats okay. we have had two meals at members houses. it was just rice (super good) chicken salad and soup. not that exciting haha. my pants are already starting to fit me big cause we have been walking alot which is good!!! 

the weather is sometimes a little warm here but in the mornings and nights its like 70 degrees.. so nice!! when i got to lisbon it felt like perfect beach weather. This place reminds me alot of ecuador. its super similar. 

My portuguese is decent haha but its so hard to understand real people. their accent is crazy and when i bore my testimony in church yesterday they said i have a spanish accent when i speak portuguese. better that sounding like a gringo!!! 

ill let you all know how this week goes. peace out America

-- 

Elder Brandon Michael Haroldsen

A Igreja De Jesus Cristo Dos Santos Dos Ultimos Dias 

PEACE OUT AMERICA

Hello everybody! I hope you all had a great week. My last week here at the MTC was super uplifting and wonderful. I have felt the love God has for me and that he has prepared me to leave on this great journey. Today is my last pday in preparation for my trip which starts at 3:30 AM tomorrow morning. I am washing all my clothes and getting ready to pack everything soon! Its so crazy that I'm leaving this place already. It seems like yesterday I was getting dropped off at the curb and saying goodbye to all of you. 

I feel like I am as ready as ever. My Portuguese is great. My companion thinks that there's a chance that I will be better than my trainer if he isn't a native portuguese speaker. He's crazy haha.

Yesterday one of my best friends, Elder Petersen, was shipped off to Mozambique, Africa Portuguese speaking. Before he left he requested that all the Elders in my district offer him a blessing. As I stood in that circle I felt the power of God. I felt the spirit so strong and tears started rolling down my cheeks. We were all crying saying goodbye to this elder but it was a great experience. I truly felt like a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I want all of you to know how much love I have for my savior Jesus Christ. I know he lives. I know that he leads his church, and that this is his church. I know that without a doubt. He loves you beyond your imagination. He loves you so much that he took upon himself every single pain, sickness, sorrow, or hard experience you have every or will ever go through. He went so much pain that he trembled and bled for every pore, begging Heavenly Father to take away the pain and if there was any other less excruciating way. He did this because he loves you. He knows everything you are going through, and he is there to comfort you. As a true Representative of Jesus Christ, I invite you to come unto him. COME UNTO CHRIST, and by his grace be made holy again. 

From today on I will be communicating by pretty much only email as letters will take a while to get there and back. 

Eu amo voces com tudo meu coracao. (Sorry I can't type portuguese accents on this computer.)

-- 

Elder Brandon Michael Haroldsen

A Igreja De Jesus Cristo Dos Santos Dos Ultimos Dias 

Last Week at the MTC!!!

Hello all!

How are all of you doing? I am doing great! im super excited because my last week at the good ol MTC has arrived!! FINALLY!! Im super stoked to go to Portugal next tuesday morning!!! I get to take a pit stop in New York for 4 hrs then Paris, France for 2 hrs! hopefully there are some cool buildings to see from the airport!

I am so ready but also nervous to teach real people in a foreign country. Its crazy how as missionaries we can learn a new language in weeks. The gift of Tongues is so real! its a great blessing.

Throughout my time at the MTC i have really felt the comfort of my Heavenly Fathers love. I have felt the spirit so much more than I ever have in my life!!! Yesterday we were teaching a "Progressing investigator" and we taught her about the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I felt the spirit so strong as I taught her about Christ's suffering in Gethsemane, him dying on the cross, and his ressurrection. I know that through Christ we will all have the opportunity to be resurrected. And i am so grateful for this. Tragedies happen in this life. But we can find comfort knowing that through the plan of our Almighty God, we don't need to worry! We will see our families again someday through following Gods plan. 

I have been having a great time on my mission. These guys are some of my best friends and its so crazy that I just met them 6 weeks ago!! I'm sad to leave them as some of them are heading off to Mozambique, Africa this sunday. But we are all planning on meeting up at BYU after the mish! 

Hope you are all doing well and have had and will have a great week. 

Obrigado por seus oracones

-- 

Elder Brandon Michael Haroldsen

A Igreja De Jesus Cristo Dos Santos Dos Ultimos Dias

4 WEEKS DOWN

Hello friends and family!!!

How is everything back home? Another week down for me! Counting down the days to get to Portugal!!! I cannot wait. 

These past couple weeks have been awesome. I have felt the spirit like never before. I can truly feel that this is the place the Lord wants me to be as his representative. 

The weekly devotionals are my favorite. We had the opportunity to hear from Russel M. Nelson (President of the Quorum of Apostles) last week and this week we heard from a Mormon band called Nashville tribute. They were so spiritual and they sung about Joseph Smith and the first vision and Jesus Christ and Missionary work. WOW I felt the spirit then like crazy. They sung a song called "The hardest thing I've ever loved to do." Its such an awesome song.

I'm going to keep this short to be able to hopefully send some pics.

Love and miss you all! I'm doing great. Portuguese is coming like a miracle. Mission work is awesome. God loves you.

Love,

Elder Brandon Haroldsen 

"consequences of wrestling in the residence hall....rug-burn"

3 Weeks Down!!!

Dear Friends and Family,

Oi! How is everyone doing? Good I hope. 3 weeks down! It's so crazy. I am considered a veteran here at the MTC now haha. The time has gone by in the blink of an eye. Yesterday I got the chance to leave the MTC for the first time in three weeks to take this elder to the doctors in provo. He has to go home to get surgery unfortunately. But it felt like freedom for me and my companion who went with him. We were so excited to ride in a car again! lol I took a nap during the 3 minute car ride because I'm always so tired. As a missionary you are tired 24/7. I can fall asleep just by not moving! its pretty bad haha. But ill be able to get plenty of sleep when i am dead as my dad would say. Its time to work hard no matter how tired I am.

I have realized that the best way to enjoy things is to laugh. Alot. My dad always told me... if youre not happy, you're not doing it right. I make it a goal of mine to laugh every day. And we do! we all have so much fun together. Every day during gym time we run out to the sand volleyball courts and ball it up as a zone in volleyball. its the best thing ever. Y'all better watch out for when I Get back. im going to be beast at volleyball. (That was for you heather and michaella) 

  My portuguese is getting better every day. I can understand everything anyone says and I speak it well. Every once in a while I just don't know a word but thats it. It all comes smooth.

So let me tell you about the food. IM SO SICK OF IT!!!!!!! Every tuesday, just like today, we go to the temple early and after hit up the breakfast in the basement cafeteria. bomb.com! Best food ever! and its super cheap!

3 more weeks left! 3 week stretch till we tear up the streets of Portugal! Yeahhhhhh! Im so excited. Its going to be so awesome. I feel confident in my portuguese already and im barely halfway through! Eu sou muito animado para ir.

Thank you guys for all the love and support you offer me. Im doing super well! Tudo bem! Having the best time of my life. Love you all and hope you have another great week! Eu amo voces.

com muito amor sempre,

elder haroldsen

MTC- Week 2!

Dear Friends and Family,

Whats up?! Wow. I've almost been here at the MTC for two weeks now and the time has literally flown by! Every day is a new day here and it all starts with the hardest part, waking up at 6:30 AM haha. It sucks having to wake up so early every day and get on my knees to pray while half asleep, but it is worth it because obedience brings blessings. Being a missionary isn't very easy because you study for over 12 hrs every day, but at the end of the day you are exhausted but grateful you are here as a missionary. I am so glad that I am a part of the Lord's army to accomplish his work here on earth. I know that if I work my hardest, I will be able to strengthen others. So far throughout my mission I have learned how much love our Heavenly Father has for us. He has SO many blessings in store for us as long as we follow Christ. We need to have faith in his plan and hope for his grace and mercy. I have realized that no matter how Christ was treated, he always turned out to serve and help others when the natural man would have turn in for himself. I am striving to love others as Jesus Christ loves me. Today I am a little bit sick with a sore throat and a cold, but I'll be okay. An elder in my room went to the doctor and found out he has strep throat so hopefully I don't get that lol. Every Sunday we have the opportunity to watch a movie from a couple selected videos the MTC has for us missionaries. This Sunday we watched "Meet the Mormons". This movie really hit me because there is a part where a young man is preparing to serve a mission and it shows him leaving his family. I felt homesick for the first time as I walked back to our room that night and couldn't help but think of my family and friends. I started to tear up as I thought about not being able to be home to help my family move, not being able to be there to comfort my siblings, not being able to go on hunts with my boys (Dad and Kyle), and not being able to do things with my best friends. But I remembered that this mission is only two years! I'll be home in no time to do everything. I miss everybody because I love them and that's how its supposed to be! I realized that I have been called to serve by a Prophet of the Lord Jesus Christ. This work is real! It is not just a waste of time. There are families out there just like mine that need our message. I am putting all my trust in the lord and I rely on him. He is my advocate with Heavenly Father and he is ultimately my Savior and Redeemer. I know that this work I am doing will bring blessings to others and my family. I know with all my heart that this church is true. Missionaries are representatives of Jesus Christ. We can receive comfort knowing that Christ lives, and because he lives, so will we. I love you all and hope you have had and will have a great week. Keep up the letters even if I don't write you back because I am really busy... sorry! But you are my motivation when you do.

Com Muito amor,

Elder Brandon Haroldsen