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