Letter from Elder Peacock...8/1/2011

This past week Elder Hatch and I did lots of good stuff!  We had some amazing lessons with investigators this week.  We are teaching this guy named José Antonio, he has been investigating the church for a few years, but he has always had a lot of doubts and questions about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith.  So, we taught him the lesson of the restoration of the church.  The spirit was really strong in that lesson and taught José in a way that it finally made sense to him.  He finally understood and it all just kind of clicked for him.  It was amazing because he usually just has so many questions and talks a lot, but during this lesson he was quiet and was thinking a lot.  He finally understood that Joseph Smith was a prophet and how this is the only true church, and then he said he would be baptized.  We had a lot of other cool lessons during the week like that.  We went to this less active members house named Jorge Amoral, he was baptized a long time ago and was only baptized because all his friends were.  So he doesn´t really have a testimony or understand or know the church.  So we planned to do a little activity with the family because they finally gave us a day when we could come in the house and talk to them for more than 5 minutes.  But, the little kids went up stairs and fell asleep and we had to change our plans right on the spot.  But Jorge helped us because he asked a question about the Book of Mormon, and why we even need it if it teaches the same stuff the bible does.  So we were like well....and taught him the restoration of the church, it was the first time he heard!  He had so many good questions and really opened up.  It was a blessing.   Also he is a Jazz fan, he showed us his Jazz back pack he use to use as a child and was talking all about the Mailman, it was sweet.  Ha, we had church yesterday of course, always on Sunday, I got to give my first talk in church in Portugal finally, it was pretty fun, topic was...Agency.

Today is P-day and we went a to a mountain range called Serra da Estrela, we went on a couple cool little hikes up there.  It is the highest peak in Portugal.  We also went on a hike that is the angel´s landing of Portugal.  It was so pretty up there.  I´ll send some pictures soon.  Covilhã is way pretty, but it is way hot here, it is so different than being next to the ocean.  Oh yeah, I don´t think I ever told you that we have a car.  It is a weak little German car, but it is fun and is easier that waking in this heat.  Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that Daniel Reed got his mission call.  He is going to Columbus, Ohio, he leaves September 7, it is so cool.  Hope everybody is doing well.  I love you!

Love,

Elder Peacock