New Photos: Coimbra Library and Elder Barrett

A few sweet pictures from Elder Valentine this week

From Coimbra University Library

Also Coimbra Library

Elder Barrett and Elder Valentine

Elders Valentine, Barrett, and Mission President?

Email Just for Dad

Hey dad! Those Downton abbey pictures are super sweet! The girls hair is like perfect - I'm sure it took them like 3 hours to get ready and you guys like 10 minutes, so I laughed at that. Hey! Your goal house thing is super sweet! I just thought of that. I sent you an email for Ethan and I will for Anna too. I can't believe Kimber and Kevin moved so quick! How is it at home with 4 less people? I'm sure it's super different! Well dad, I love you a lot. I'm gonna write Anna super quick, but I've been thinking a lot lately about how much I look up to you, especially out here in Portugal. You're a super amazing dad and I'm super grateful for your example of hard work and love for your family and dedication to the Lord. I'm bawling like a baby right now but whatever. I love you a ton and Thanks for being my dad! I'll talk to you a little later. Bye! 

Love, your son, Elder Valentine!

Elder Valentine Has a BABY?!

Elder Valentine's email title really got our attention today. It said: family, I have a baby! What?? Has Elder Valentine gone off the deep end? Will I have a Portuguese grandson??!! Read on to learn the truth:

Dear Family! 

Wassup! So I'm writing ya'll first this time. First things first, I'm training!!!!! AHHH!!!!! I just got out of training like four days ago and so I'm like kind of nervous. But! It will be righteous! His name is Elder Barrett and he is from Washington and is a year older than me and that's pretty weird haha! I'm still in Coimbra but with a new trainee. So yeah. If anyone has suggestions on how to missionary I need 'em. I'll try to figure out how I'm gonna do emails for the family but this will be it for now. Just know that I love ya lots and that I'm doing good! Love ya! I'm still on, I'll just be emailing some individual people. Tchau-eth!

Love, Elder Valentine!

First Letter to Fam of 2016

Dear Family,

Wazzup?? Haha man time is really flying by. I have a couple really funny things to tell you guys. First, I found out about a muscle I didn't know I had! They call it the "cobblestone muscle" here. It's this muscle in the front of your leg that isn't really developed until you have to pull up your toes every step because the cobblestone roads are so uneven! At the beginning of the transfer the front of my shins hurt like crazy and I had no idea why, but it's because of this muscle! Super weird!

Dad - man! Way cool stuff in your last letter! Sherlock, Downton Abbey, scripture goals - I loved it all! haha you said at the end something about me liking fish more - we had lunch at our Bishop's house (Bishop Luis Pitarma who served in florida!) and they had the shrimp that you have to pull off the head and the legs and at first I really didn't want to eat it... and then I ate like 7 or 8. It was actually pretty good. OH ALSO! I went inside the Coimbra University Library today for P day! It was super super amazing! You would have LOVED it. Tons of books and art and crazy cool stuff - all of the walls and columns and ceiling is covered in REAL gold. Like, legit. It's nuts. You can't take pictures in the actual library, but I took some cool pictures in other parts of the University that I will send next week, due to the sketchiness of the computer I am using. I promise I am thinking of things you guys can send. I will think about anything I need!

Mom - Hi mom! So yeah they basically do the same thing for new years, except everyone gets drunk and has big concerts that go all night long, though that probably happens everywhere outside of Utah! I was on the Division with Elder Vontade on New Years Eve and we walked and talked to lots of people because lots of people were out and about! But for the New Year specifically, we didn't do too much. I slept! And When I got up the next day you guys were just barely yelling "HAPPY NEW YEARS!" since it's a 7 hour difference! Diets - um, yeah. Family diet. I'll do it with ya'll. That's all I'm gonna say. I wrote you a little more in another email. Love ya mom!

Kimber - Heyya! Like I said, New years was lots of drunk people... haha! We did regular stuff! Except for trying to dodge the drunk people. It was almost like a game! You sound like you have a lot going on with moving and scripture challenges - I'll pray lots for ya! Make sure to tell me what your challenge will be! I'd love to hear what you want to do! Dad sent me his plan for the year and I really liked it. I'd love to hear some stuff you and Kevin want to work on!

Kevin - I'll write ya in a reply!

Amanda - good luck on your trip sister! It sounds super exciting and I hope it goes super well!

Anna and Ethan - Haha! School! Stinks for you! Just kidding - missionaries don't get any breaks so feel lucky! tell me how things are goin! :) 

Anyways, I love you guys super a ton. If I missed anything, tell me! Love you!

Love, Elder Valentine!

Happy New Year Group Email

Dear Everyone,

Happy new years! I hope that you all made really good goals for 2016 - It's very important! Presidente Amorim challenged all of the missionaries to setting goals for our missionary work, and I have been thinking a lot about goals lately. It is essential that we set reachable goals that will push us to become better - it's basically like using the Atonement but thinking about it for the upcoming year! If you think about it that way, it becomes a lot clearer the importance of setting and reaching goals. I hope you all do it!

Cool story for the week - I went on a division with one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Vontade, who is from Mozambique (is it spelled that way in English? I think that might be the Portuguese spelling. But I don't know!), and only speaks Portuguese. So for a whole day I was just speaking Portuguese! So for those of you who have asked how my Portuguese is going, I guess you could say that I can be stuck with a Portuguesean for a whole day and do just fine. It was way cool! We contacted lots of people, and one more person who speaks English, with one more failure at speaking English. #thestruggleisreal. But It was a really good day! I learned lots!

For my spiritual thought, I want to bear my testimony on testimonies. Elder Crist and I talked to a lot of people this week who were not very nice, and atheist, and were arguing about how we can't know if God exists and things like that. A lot of them said that if you can't prove it, it isn't real. They were looking for physical proof and had never been exposed to the spiritual side of things. I am just so glad that I can say with 100% surety that I have a Father in Heaven, who loves me, and gave His Son to be our Savior. Atheists seem to love to bash your knowledge of that! Not all of them, but a lot. But because I KNOW through my testimony, given to me by the Spirit, who I am, and who sent me here, and why I'm here and where I'm going, these harsh words don't have to have effect. Your testimony is your anchor. It helps you feel God's love and see His direction in your life. If you don't have a testimony or yours is weak, pray and study God's words to gain this assurance! I know Heavenly Father hears our prayers. He will answer His children. 

Transfers are happening tomorrow, so next week I will have a new companion. This was a pretty good transfer, but with my goals and all, I really hope to make this next transfer a better one!

Nothing super exciting happened this week, but I'm sure there will be more next time! Thcau, for now!

-Elder Valentine!