Elder Lindquist 4/26/10

So this week was awesome! Elder Togo and I are having a blast and working hard we had some great experiences this week. We were able to mark many of our investigators for the following weeks in May. With faith and the help of the Lord we hope to baptize weekly. It is really hot right now! Earlier this week it was raining like crazy, but that's just how the weather goes in the springtime right. Today we're going to play some b-ball with some members/investigators and this should be fun. I'm excited to talk to you guys soon. It’s weird to think that this will be my last call, even though if I stayed another month I would have a fifth call. I was reading in Jacob this morning where he says that their lives passed by even as if it were a dream. Sometimes it feels like I'm dreaming because the time is going by so fast! Elder Togo and I are definitely not sleeping here. The other day we contacted a kid that gave us his address and a few days later when we passed by the house we found out that he actually doesn't live there, but a really awesome young woman did! We talked to her for a bit at the door and set up an appointment to talk to her a few days later. We brought her to the chapel and showed her everything then we had a lesson and marked her for baptism. I am really grateful that the Lord has given me the chance to serve him here in Portugal there’s no other place I'd rather be. I know the Lord hears and answers our prayers and he really does love us. Elder Togo informed me that Elias and Ana went to the temple a little while ago, (he was up in that zone). And I guess they are dating. It’s kind of funny because they were baptized on the same day. I was really happy to hear about that. Eliza Carla and Betina received callings yesterday, both of which will be serving in the Relief Society. So things are going really well here, I hope you guys have a great week keep on working hard in school! You are all in my prayers and I thank you for your prayers as well.
Warmest wishes, Elder Jordan Lindquist

Elder Lindquist 4/21/10

Hey all I apologize for my late email we had a meeting with the zone leaders on p-day and we haven't gotten around to doing email. So news about transfers, I stayed a fourth transfer here. I'm now serving with my homeboy from the MTC Elder Togo!!! He was in my group from the MTC (the Hawaiian one in the group). We are excited to serve together; we have a lot of good things going right now, (our zone/area is kind of down in the dumps but we're working to bring things back to life). Elder Togo was the branch president for six months in a tiny branch at the very top of the mission and needless to say this area is the exact opposite for him. (He taught all the classes, primary, Relief Society, and directed the sacrament meeting, played piano in sacrament meeting, talked in sacrament meeting, etc) so when he got here he asked what we needed to do on Sunday and was completely shocked when I said we just have to get our investigators. He has so many crazy stories about that place. It has been great working with him and been great catching up on the good times. We have some decent investigators right now but most of which are progressing towards baptism either aren't married or have some type of challenge but we will keep working with them till they reach the water. We haven't baptized in a while and I'm getting worried, in the last few months we have had a really strong urgency to not "loose" investigators but to help them progress towards baptism. But sometimes it can be disappointing because people still have their agency. The least we can do is our part, "remember the worth of souls is great in the eyes of God". Things are going good we have hope and faith for the future. If you can pray for a kid named Francisco that would be great we're going to try and baptize him on the 1st of May. Well I'm excited to talk to you guys for the last time before I come home. Even though I'm not exactly sure what day it is I just know it's sometime in May. I love you all, and even though it will be a while longer before I see you I'll still be home for Thanksgiving!! You are in my prayers!
-Love Elder Lindquist

Elder Lindquist 4/12/10

So things are going great out here in the field. We have a few people that are progressing towards baptism; we had some good experiences this week. The other day we did a division with some missionaries from our district and I stayed here with one of them, as we were walking in the afternoon the other missionary saw a man waving us down in his van. He pulled over and we crossed the street to talk to him. He got out and explained that he had seen a program on a news station about our missionary work here in Portugal (the members showed it to us it was pretty sick. It was filmed in the times of President Terry and followed the Elders that worked in our area here in Corroios) and he told us that he was curious about our religion. I gave him a Book of Mormon and we marked a visit with him. A few days later we went to his work, which is a graphic design company, and we had a lesson with him. Turns out he's a practicing catholic man, (which is pretty rare here) and he just wanted to gain more knowledge about our religion. At least we were able to bear our testimonies to him and leave a copy of the Book of Mormon. Maybe he won’t act on these things now but I have faith that in the future when he really wants the truth he will know where to go. But we've been working hard to find those that arent only curious but willing to act on the things we teach them. Jó is doing well and is having a very hard time taking the step to baptism. She has already felt that the church is true and has no doubts about it, but the deep roots of Catholicism in her Caboverdian family are tough to up-root. But we're praying for her and I know that she will be baptized soon. It is very rewarding to see Eliza Carla bear her testimony every fast and testimony meeting. She has borne it every month even when she was an investigator. She is such a fireball!! Adonis is doing well and has been teaching with us on divisions. I really want that kid to serve a mission. He’s got the age, now we just need to chase all the woman away from him and he'll be set to go. Well transfer calls are today bet we still haven't heard anything. We're pretty excited to hear what is going on. We will just have to be patient as President Uchtdorf taught us. Well it is official; I won’t be going home until the second week in November. I would either stay only a month or leave in the middle of the transfer or just stick out the whole transfer and so I'm going to stick it out. I'm not sure what the exact day is but I can let you know when they tell me, it will probably be like the 8th or something like that. Well I love you all and hope and pray all is well with you. The weather has been great here, (to tell you the truth it's getting to be pretty stinking hot) but take it easy every one.
-Love Elder Lindquist

Elder Lindquist 4/5/10

First of all I want to say Happy Birthday Dallan, Hope you had a great B-day on Easter. What an awesome day to celebrate your birth! On the day the Savior resurrected as we read about in Matt 28. I hope you all had a great Easter, watching the conference sessions (which were all amazing) especially the priesthood session. Things are going good here, we didn't have as many investigators watching conference as we would have liked to but everyone was in Lisbon or with family. Easter is a really big deal here; the kids get two weeks off in school and everything. But it is a good reason to make a big deal right? As the Hebrews celebrated the freedom of their fathers from Egypt we as Christians celebrate the freedom from sin thanks to the sacrifice that our Savior offered in our behalf. It's really quite cool to look at the similarities between the symbolism of the Hebrew celebration and the Christian celebration. The lambs that were sacrificed and the blood that was put on the door so that the destroying angel didn't take their sons, and the Lamb of God that was sacrificed so that all the children of God could be saved from the effects of sin. I'm grateful for this sacrifice and I'm grateful to be a missionary and serve our Savior here in Portugal. We can re-live Easter practically every week when we take the sacrament as Christ said to his disciples that the wine would represent his blood, the blood of the New Testament. Have a great week, sorry this is short but we've got to go teach:)
-Love Elder Lindquist