9-26-11

Dear Family,
Well, I hope that things are going well back at home. Here are some of the things that have been going on for the past couple weeks here in Vila Real.

Last night we went knocking and we found a girl named Márcia that is going to college her and she was really interested and also we found 3 guys that are 20 and are studying also and we are going to meet with them this Wednesday. And when we were heading back to the house a man named Paulo stopped us. He is a lawyer and he had a lot of questions about what we believe and we answered a few and we got his number so we are going to call him.

Also, one of our other investigators is Natércia. She is about 50 and is evangelical. She just walked into church a couple weeks ago and we got her number and she came to church two weeks later and then we had a lesson with her in a park. She had questions about why we never ask for money and why we use the Book of Mormon. But it was a really good lesson and she accepted the baptismal invite. So, we just need to meet with her again to give her a date for baptism.

Also, we found 3 college girls named Barbara, Luciana and Anabela that are studying here is Vila Real. But they go and see their families in the weekends and so that makes it difficult for them to come to church. But we taught the Restoration and the whole time they were really quiet and were basically awestruck by the message and so they said that they wold let us come back and we have an appointment tomorrow.

Also Manel, he is 15 and friends with our recent converts and some of the members. He is way cool and funny. His mom died when he was younger and now he lives with foster parents I think. And he already accepted the baptismal invite and we just need to give him a date. But it is difficult to meet with him because of school and he does track after school. And school here is weird. They start at 8, go til 12 and have about a 2-3 hour lunch break, come back and have school til 6. And then any other stuff after that. And each day is different length for the hours of school. And some students even get money from the school to study there, our recent convert Bruna get 100 euros a month to study at her school.

But things here are going good. The work is coming a long and we are going to have lots of baptisms here is Portugal. And there are a lot of profesies that Portugal will be like Brazil with baptisms.

In the fall of 1981 Elder Boyd K. Packer visited Portugal. During his stay he said to the mission President Harold G. Hillam, "It is going to be in Portugal as it has been in South America, where there has been so much growth and advancement in the Church. The growth in Portugal will be slow at first, but then there will be an explosion."

During a visit by Elder Theodore Tuttle in February of 1983 he said, "Portugal will be the key that will open Europe, and will help the Church grow here in this part of the world."

In 1986, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, "Portugal will be covered from north to south and from east to west with stakes of Zion. Chapels will be built in cities and towns throughout the whole land. And as a consequence of the growth of the kingdom of God, this nation will be exceedingly blessed and will become again a great nation as it was in times of old."

I love you guys so much and thanks for all the letters and support.
Love,
Elder Spencer Jensen

9-12-11

Dear Family,
Thanks so much for all the bday wishes and everything. Thanks for the support that you guys have given me through out the years. And also the support that you guys have given me during me mission. And also for all the letters. You don´t know how much hey make the day better haha. And I hope all the nieces and nephews still remember who I am haha. I hope all is well at home.
Things here in Portugal are really good. We are working with e kid named Manel. He is 15 and he is friends with basically every youth in our ward. So, he already has that support system. And also he has a real desire to follow the Savior in his life. I will tell you how things go with him.
Sorry, I haven´t written in the last couple weeks. Nothing too exciting has been going on. I am in Vila Real still and things are going great. I haven´t spoken hardly any English for almost a month now. It is hard sometimes but it is really improving my language. And my vocabulary is starting to become better and also my grammar. I wanna be fluent by the time I leave the mission. And I am going to try to keep speaking until the end of my mission.
It is weird to thing that I have been gone for 10 months already. But I still have a long time left. But 3 weeks are taken off because of the difference in transfers of the two Portugal missions. So, I have 13 months left, I think.
Thanks for all you guys do for me and all the help and support.
Love,
Elder Spencer Jensen