Week 16

Ola Familia! 
This week was pretty good! I did not get much opportunity to work in my area because we had to do a division in Porta Legre but dad, you will be super excited to hear that Porta Legre is 20 kilometers from Spain so we hiked to the top of a mountain and I got to see the rolling hills of Spain. I don't want to offend you but Spain was nothing special... it looked a lot like Portugal and I couldn't even see the white lines that divide the countries. It was really cool though. 
This week was transfers and my comp was transferred out of the area and he went to Madeira which is super awesome. I stayed here and I got a new comp and his name is Elder Cluff. He looks a lot like Collin Toyn and he is super awesome. He only has 2 transfers left in his mission so I might kill him if I stay. But before he got here Elder Riggs had to leave on Sunday night so I went to Porta Legre again and we hung out there so I missed another day of working in my area but I was super happy that I got to go there again because it was the last day of Elder Di Niro's mission. He went home today and we were pretty good friends. He was an elder from Italy and he was way funny but it was sad to see him go. I would send pictures today but we can't on these computers. Usually we would use the library but it is a Portuguese holiday so the library is closed! The Portuguese are all fubecas! I will make sure to send you the pictures next week. I am super happy to hear that Sam is doing well and I got 2 calls to confirm that I knew. Dad always was thorough haha. President called me and I have never gotten a call from President Fluckiger so I was super scared and he just told me that Sam is good and asked me about my area but I almost peed my pants haha. We taught Jose again and it turns out he hasn't been understanding everything we were teaching so we will be teaching him everything again, which is exciting... haha. This week in fast and testimony meeting he got up and bore his testimony which was awesome. He talked about how the Elders have taught him so much and he is a changed man because of us. It was a cool thing to see especially because Riggs was leaving. That is all that really happened this week. I will send pictures next week! Love you guys, give Sam a big hug for me! 
Love,
Elder Ruggles

Week 15

Hey everybody! 
Not much happened this week! It was Thanksgiving and my comp and I totally forgot haha. We looked at the calendar and he said when is Thanksgiving and I said I think it was yesterday but oh well they don't have it here and we still wouldn't have done anything haha! I made my comp fast yesterday for Sam and he was cool with it so don't worry about the kidney thing, two fasting missionaries is pretty much a quick fix for everything. I heard that 2 fasting missionaries stopped the Civil War... that's a fact. Our investigator Jose doesn't have the same will to follow the commandments like he used to so we are afraid that he will become an eternal investigator. He still likes the missionaries and wants the lessons but he doesn't have the drive to quit smoking anymore. It breaks my heart but we can't make him do anything. We have been trying to find more investigators but no one here has the time or they just don't care so I feel like we try super hard and work a ton but there is nothing happening here. I have faith that something will happen here soon. We do have a baptism of an 8 year old but she is a daughter of a member. She is super funny and they are the coolest family ever. They are from Guinhea Basou and they are the nicest people ever. The oldest boy is named Diamentino and we have the same exact birthday. Now that I am writing this I am starting to think that I wrote this exact thing last week... but like I said not a lot happens here. I am a little frustrated with the language but my comp assures me that I am doing ok. I just feel like I have been here long enough and I still can't understand these people. We will see how it goes. I am not so good at the language study but I was never really good at studying. I have made a goal to do better though. All in all this week was normal. I did send you guys a package with Christmas presents in it so be ready for that. Hopefully it gets there before Christmas. 
Love you guys,
Elder Ruggles

Division with the zone leaders

View from our study room

Week 14

Hey Everyone! 
I don't have a lot of time today so it will be quick! Nothing really happened this week anyway so you won't miss much. We taught our only progressing investigator named Jose and he came to church again and he liked it but he was having a hard time feeling the same spirit he felt last time. We saw him that night and he was drunk and I was so sad. He asked us if we would have to move his baptism back and we said yes. He isn't sure if he needs to be baptized now and I feel like we are losing him. I really hope he can find the spirit again. I didn't get any pictures this weekend but next week I will. It is Roques birthday today, she is a little girl in the ward who is from Guinea Basou (spelled wrong) but she is so cool and I love her family and she is going to be 8 so she is super excited to get baptized. Her older brother is named Diamentino and he was born the exact same day as me in the exact same year so we are super tight. I now have a black friend!!! Well that's all for now, Thanks for all of the support. I love you all! 
Love,
Elder Ruggles

Week 13

Hello everyone, 
This week was pretty awesome! My new area is getting a little easier for me to work in and my legs are less tired after I walk up the mountain to our house everyday. Earlier this week we had the awesome opportunity to hear from Elder Quinton L. Cook from the quorom of the 12 apostles and he was super cool! He said a lot of inspiring things and it was cool to see him come but me and my friends were wondering why he came. Usually when they come they announce stuff so we were waiting for him to talk about the groundbreaking of the temple and someone asked a question about the temple and he said it probably won't start before we go home so I was super sad to hear that I probably won't be here for the ground breaking. Then some of us started thinking he was going to announce that we would be using i pads which is supposed to happen soon but he didn't say anything about that so I don't know why he flew to Portugal. Maybe he is here for something else and he wanted to talk to us as a bonus, oh well. That girl that we had been teaching for a long time finally got baptized last week in Oeiras and I was sad I could not be there. Also that elect guy that me and Elder Yancey found on our division in Oeiras got baptized too and he wants to go to the temple which is super awesome but I wasn't there. This area hasn't baptized in a long time and we have one progressing investigator so hopefully he gets baptized. This town is full of youth who go to high school here and so they really don't want much to do with the gospel but on the weekends they all get drunk and get in fights which is hilarious. My first weekend here 2 guys were yelling at each other and I was like what's going on and my comp was not even phased by it. This area is on a big hill like I said and we live pretty close to the top and on the top is this big castle that the town was built around and it is pretty cool. The ward here is really cool and nice just like all members are and I shouldn't call it a ward because it is a branch. That's how small the church is here, but the branch president is so cool and he is really nerdy and so him and his son practice the real art of Ninjitsu and they teach a class at the community center and a lot of the members like to go so pretty much this branch is full of ninjas haha. I like this branch though. It is a lot colder here than it was in Oeiras but Abrantes is pretty cool. Thanks for all the letters and support! I love and miss all of you guys, keep writing. 
Love,
Elder Ruggles

My new area, Abrantes

Me and my new companion, Elder Riggs

Me and my old MTC buddies

Week 12

Hey Everyone,
This week was awesome, Elder Yancey and Quinn had 2 baptisms and it was really cool. We had a party for the girls who were baptized after and we had cake and sang hymns. Elder Yancey got to do the baptisms which is cool because he is only in his first transfer like me but during the party he leans in really close to my ear and whispers... "I am winning now." He was kidding of course but laughed for like a half hour afterward. On Sunday night some members invited us over for some dinner and it was Portugal's own Balcaulhou which is salty cod fish. There is a reason that they are the only people who eat it haha. Just kidding it was really good and I really like fish.
Right before dinner though we got a call because the next day was transfer day and normally new missionaries don't get transferred before they are done with training which is 2 transfers so we weren't worried. When Elder Quinn picked up the phone they said, "who do you want to know about first?" and for some reason he said Elder Ruggles and the zone leaders said, "Elder Ruggles is going but you all are staying goodbye."   I was so not ready to be transferred and I didn't eat much of the cod fish. What's worse is the area I traveled to today is super far so they couldn't have a senior comp travel with me so I had to go alone and I had to make like 4 train changes. It was really scary and super stressful. I was super sad to leave Elder Quinn and Yancey and especially my trainer Elder Simpson, but now I have a new trainer named Elder Riggs. Its Riggs and Rugs out to preach the gospel. I am now in an area called Abrantes and its way different than Oeiras. Oeiras was right on the beach but this city is smack dab in the middle of Portugal so I really miss the ocean. Also the ward in Oeiras was one of the biggest in Portugal and they had the biggest, nicest chapel in Portugal but here they have a branch of 25 people... This transfer is going to be a lot different and I think not having Elder Quinn will make it hard. But this is where the Lord wants me and I am super excited to serve the people here. Hope all is well with you guys. I love you.
Love,
Elder Ruggles

Sad transfer day

Week 11

Hey Everyone,

This week was pretty good, we didn't have any baptisms but Elder Quinn and Elder Yancey found 2 elect girls who want to be baptized next week and we are hoping that Leticia can stop smoking so we can baptize her next week too. I am doing well and I am less tired every week. I am really starting to feel like a missionary and I can understand a good 60 percent of what people are saying so that is good haha. 

I can't believe one transfer has gone by already, it feels like I just got here. I don't know if time is moving by as fast for you people on the other side but I hope that all is well with you. This next transfer is going to be weird especially because it is only 4 weeks and the next is 8 weeks and we don't know if we will be transfered this time. I hope we all stay in the same place because I love this area and the house we live in is awesome. Elder Quinn and Yancey are super funny and we all just joke around at night, it is super fun.

Not too much happened this week so I don't have much to write about. I hope you had a good Halloween. They don't really do that here which is why America is and always will be the best country in the world. We saw some children running around but their costumes were like a little toy sword so again, not as good as America. 

That is all for now but keep the letters coming, I love you guys

Love,

Elder Ruggles

Me and my friends from my home ward, Ty and Dallis

Week 10

Hey Everyone!

This week was so awesome. Two of our baptisms fell through but one stuck and so we got our first baptism in this area. It was Antonio, that guy who approached us in the street. We asked him who he wanted to baptize him and he said, "One of you two," and my trainer said, "Can Elder Ruggles?" He said he would love that so I dunked him haha. It was a really cool experience and he is a way cool guy. 

At the beginning of the week we had the opportunity to go and sing for all the mission presidents of Europe for a conference in a 5 star hotel. It was us and the Lisboa zone so I got to see Ty again but I have the feeling it is the last time for a while which makes me sad but hopefully we will be companions one day. The mission presidents were expecting a small choir to sing Called to Serve so they picked a small choir to sing the first verse in English and the rest of the zone was hiding in the hall and when the 2nd verse started we marched in and sang it in Portuguese and it sounded really cool. All of the mission presidents were crying and our mission president and his wife were just bawling because of how proud they were of us. President and Sister Fluckiger are seriously the best people ever.

I got to do a division with Elder Quinn this week and it was like I never even left Riverton. He is so funny and every time we talk to someone and they say, "I dont need it," Elder Quinn says back, "You do need it." He is a great missionary and he just wants everyone to be saved so when someone doesn't want to hear the message he just doesn't understand their thought process. If people would take 5 minutes to listen and feel the spirit, we could get a lot more done but people always say "não precisas," but they do! Maybe everyone will stop being Catholic one day. 

Lately it has been the season of Fatima which is one of the stupidest things ever. Apparently, the mother of Jesus appeared to 3 children a long time ago and now they worship the virgin Mary. Don't get me wrong, she was super important but the reason is because she birthed JESUS!!!! Anyway, they go and walk around on their knees because it is sacred ground and they pay a ton of money to light a candle and keep it lit to get blessings and I am like, "Hey we give blessings for free!" 

Anyways keep the letters coming, I love hearing from all of you.

Love,

Elder Ruggles

First baptism!!!

Whale tail

Week 9

Hey Everyone,

This week has been pretty good, but all of our baptisms fell through but that is OK because we rescheduled them for this week. We will be having 3 baptisms if everything goes as planned! We got a new investigator who came up to us at 9:30 at night as we were going into our house and he yelled, "Elders, wait!" We stopped and he said, "I want to know more about your church." He has read all of the Bible and he is looking for work so he is at home all the time and all he does is read the Book of Mormon. He said he knows it is true and is getting baptized this week, the only problem is that he has a bit of a smoking problem but we told him the Lord will help him if he prays and has faith. I heard that Sam found a match so she is going to get surgery! That is the best news. I have been praying for that for so long and it goes to show you that the Lord will bless families and prayers are answered. Just keep the faith.  

We also talked to this kid from South Africa who speaks Afrikaans, Portuguese and English and he seems like he is very open to what we teach him and he tells us to do it in English so it's nice for me. The first time we talked to him he asked me what made me want to come out and be a missionary and I got to bare a really powerful testimony in English and he was really blown away. He said, "You're so young but yet you still chose to be here talking to people who don't believe." It was a really cool experience and I hope we teach him more because he is super cool! I don't have a lot of time today but thank you for all the letters and love, everyone. I love all of you guys and I will talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Ruggles

P.S. We had a zone conference with the mission president and the Lisboa zone and all of my old district from the MTC are in the Lisboa zone and so is Ty so we hung out all day, It was awesome.

Me, Ty, and my MTC district at zone conference

Week 8

Hey Everyone!

This week has been pretty good and when I say pretty good I mean lots of pretty good trials! First, our power went out so most of the food went bad in the fridge and it has rained pretty much all week so now all of my stuff is wet but I actually enjoy the rain. We have a ton of new investigators which is awesome and we have 2 marked for baptism and I am so excited to see them get baptized. One of them was supposed to get baptized this Sunday but she didn't because she was having a bad day. She is a 19 year old girl named Gabriela and she is going through a lot in her life. She recently got pregnant and the dad wants nothing to do with it and she lives with her family in a small apartment and they can't really support a baby right now. She was feeling lost and she never believed in God but she said a prayer one night while she was on a walk and boom! that is when she met us!!! It is crazy how God prepares people. Literally 10 minutes after she said the prayer she found us and she said she wants to get baptized. We have been teaching her all of the lessons and she is loving the gospel and the ward members are super helpful here.

I hope it stops raining so much here because my pants are soaking wet, and my socks are too. Oh well, that's Portugal! Thanks for all of your emails and stuff guys, you're great. Also, the mission rules changed 2 weeks ago so now I can listen to music that is uplifting so all these missionaries are coming out with all the songs that they couldn't play before so that is awesome. Talk to you guys next week!

Love,

Elder Ruggles

Went to the beach

Week 7

Hey Everyone,
Now that I am in Portugal all of you will actually want to read this blog haha! I had a great first week with a great new trainer named Elder Simpson. He is way nice and way helpful! We are assigned to serve in an area called Oeiras and it is beautiful here. I have already talked to a ton of people who lead very interesting lives and the people of Portugal are very elect. Some of them are very open to hear what we have to say especially here in Oeiras. One of the elders in my apartment is a friend from my old ward named Elder Quinn which is really awesome. I got to watch conference in English which was awesome but because of the time difference I only got to watch until 11 at night then we had to leave the church. I love the ward here, they are super nice and support missionary work completely. They call us lazy whenever we don't show up with an investigator but we are white washing this area so we need to get new investigators anyway. Well keep writing everyone! I love you all!
Love,
Elder Ruggles

My trainer, Elder Simpson, me and Elder Quinn on P-day

Oerias

My district

Last day at the MTC

Week 6

Just some pictures from my last week in the MTC!

Fun at the temple

Making fun of the map pictures

Real map picture

Someone got a pinata from home

And a Halloween mask

Week 5

Hey everyone,
Great week here. I got my travel plans and I leave in a week from today and I couldn't be more excited. It will be hard to say goodbye to all of the great friends that I have made here but I will make more in the field. Today will be my last time going through the temple in 2 years so I better make it count. Hopefully I will be in Portugal during the groundbreaking of the new temple there. Keep the letters coming. I love you all so much.
Love,
Elder Ruggles

Me and Ty

Ty and his companion

Cool guys

Week 4

Hey Everyone!

I am having a good time here in the MTC but I want nothing more than to go to Portugal and serve actual people. I caught wind that the West campus MTC gets to go off campus to Jamba Juice and a burger joint which really got me upset so I wrote a letter to Thomas S Monson but he has yet to get back to me, I guess I'll call it a bust and give up on the dream of eating real food until I leave. One of my fake investigators agreed to be baptized in 2 weeks and it made me so happy I could not stop smiling! I know it's fake but just imagine how happy I will be when I get to Portugal and convert real investigators! I am a little sick of the MTC. I guess the things I miss the most would be my phone, and free time to hang out with my friends. I still see Ty everyday and even though we are not in the same zone we still are on the same schedule so that is a huge blessing! This week was my 3rd week so I got to host on Wednesday and I knew one of my friends was coming in that day so I prayed really hard that I would host him and the people with the last name P had already come and gone so I thought I missed him but then he pulled up a little late and I got to host him!!! It was a great experience and proves that God answers prayers!!! It was a great blessing for me and for Elder Poe! Thank you for all of your support! I love all of you!

Love,

Elder Ruggles 

Sittin at the temple

Class time!

Selfies

Week 3

Hey Everyone,
This week has been pretty good but uneventful, the MTC is great but it is the same old thing everyday so unless we have a party there is nothing really to report about. It has been raining a lot here which makes for some good staring out the window and deep thinking but other than that it is just class time class time class time. I am really enjoying myself here and my zone is the best zone ever. I already have a really good friend named Elder Willes and he is one of my best friends ever. We have a lot in common, he is from San Diego and he surfs but we have similar personalities. I am half way done with the MTC and even though I like it here, that 3 weeks could not go by any slower! I just want to be in Portugal and smell the ocean and teach real investigators, then all of you will actually have a reason to read this, haha. I love hearing from you guys so keep the letters, emails and Dear Elders coming! I love all of you and appreciate the support, talk to you next week!
Love,
Elder Ruggles

Week 2

Hey everyone! 

I am doing great here in the MTC, there has been a little bug going through our residence hall and I caught it so I have a little bit of a sore throat but other than that all is well! I love hearing from all of you and love getting your letters so keep them coming. I have been having a lot of fun here. The other day there was a rap battle right outside our room and it was one of the funnest things that has happened since I got here. A kid from upstairs named himself white cheddar and he thinks he is Eminem! I took like an hour out of class time to explain the A-team principle to our whole zone and everyone thought it was soo funny. The A-team principle is that any group of four has to have a brain, a brawn, a good lookin' and a wild card. Everyone was trying to apply the A-team principle to their own district and they thought it was hilarious. My zone leaders even did it and we called them the ultimate A-team. I was sad because they all got their visas to Brazil and I really like hanging out with them but before they left they decided who the next ultimate A-team was and we had a ceremony and everything. They chose a kid in my district as brains which is not surprising and then they chose the biggest kid in the zone as brawn. Then they chose Oglesbee as a wild card which you wouldn't guess but he is wild then they chose me as the looks which I did not see coming! I was honored but confused but everyone respects the new hierarchy so I am the looks! My zone is awesome and I couldn't have asked for better friends, it just goes to show how much Heavenly Father blesses me everyday. I have been teaching a fake investigator for some time and we got him to stop drinking coffee and he wants to get baptized and we did it all in Portuguese! We also got a new teacher who teaches for the other 3 hour block we have and he is way cool, all of my teachers know Collin Toyn because he went to Portugal on his mission with some of them and they said they are going to ask him to come in as an investigator or do TRC with him which is like family home evening! I really hope it works out so that I can see him again. Anyway that's all I have time for today. Thank you for your letters and support! Keep them coming!

Love,

Elder Ruggles

My room

The guy to the left of me is my favorite zone leader and I was way sad when he left. The one 2 down from him is the brawn and his name is Bleazard and then 2 down was Lowder and he is the one who gave me the looks. 

Me and my zone in front of the temple