16 April 2018 Acabou-se (It´s over!)

Dear family and friends,

Surprisingly, my mission is ending, basically right now. I already had an interview with President Tavares and I will leave for the airport 2am this next morning. The bags are already ready but I´m not. It´s awfully strange.

You´re probably curious, but Maria was inteed baptized this last saturday. It ran well. She was working a lot this week so we had to get creative. We jogged to her house early in the morning in the rain to fill out the baptismal form and then we came back that night we came back with the District Leader to hold the interview before she went to bed. We had to intercept her at the right times, but it all worked out. She was baptized saturday night and confirmed Sunday morning. She´s already learning a lot and has some friends. She´s a nice lady. João Lima came to church too, he´s doing great, he´s already half way through Alma.

We worked with a number of other investigators, we ran around working a bunch, I won´t go into details. A large part of our time was used with Maria, tying up loose ends and I also used a few hours copying information to the Area book for future missionaries, info from investigators to bus hours.

But yeah, that´s it. I´m not going to make an elaborate email, I don´t have much time anyways. I´ll miss Costa da Caparica, I met a lot of great people here. I had a good time with Elder Nichols too. I will miss Portugal and the mission greatly.

I cannot begin to explain the experience that the mission has been for me, surely those who already served can relate. But it sufficeth me to say that it was incredible and I´m sad that it´s ending. But time, being merciless, ever ticking and tocking, stopping for nothing, has sealed shut yet another chapter of my life. My head is a swirl right now, but I´m happy.

Thanks,

Elder Ward