Sharing Joy in Portugal: Elder Soares’ Heartfelt Mission 

“What a great blessing it is for me to be here in Portugal — a country I love so much, filled with wonderful people, people of faith, and people who have Christ in their hearts.” 

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and his wife, Rosana, have concluded a 12-day ministry in Western Europe with a visit to Portugal. 

CASA Service Project 

Elder Soares and Elder Scott D. Whiting, Europe North Area President, traveled to Setúbal, to Centro de Apoio ao Sem Abrigo (CASA), a food bank, where volunteers from the Church of Jesus Christ have been volunteering for many years to provide hot meals for homeless individuals. 

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They joined in by cutting potatoes and sausage as well as prepping other foods to be cooked. Elder Soares said he was very grateful for the “members who volunteered to go there every week to donate their time and their love to help other people and feed them that very delicious food.” 

“[Our Church] provides 40 members a week who will go and volunteer time … and prepare food for over 1,600 homeless people a month. This is a great project, isn’t it?” said Elder Whiting. 

Susana Marques, coordinator for CASA, also expressed gratitude to Elder Soares because there was a time CASA was facing closure, but the Church made a financial donation to prevent that from occurring.  

“We are sure that without the Church’s help, this work would be much harder to sustain,” she said. 

For Marques, it is not just the financial or equipment donations that are helpful, but the weekly volunteers that come to help prepare a meal for those in need. 

“If it weren’t for these [volunteers], this work wouldn’t happen. It is organizations like yours supporting us that help us continue helping those in need. It has been a tremendous, vital help for our work,” Marques said. 

Rute Sousa, a local Relief Society leader in the Church, has helped with this service project from the beginning. 

“We were out on the streets, and we saw many homeless people who needed a comforting, hot meal. We felt we could help bring them the light of Christ through the comfort of food and a bit of love. It is a way for us to participate with our community,” Sousa said. 

Sousa mentioned that it is not always easy to donate their time, as many members arrive after work and stay late into the night serving the food. However, the visit from Elder Soares, she believes, has encouraged them to press on despite the challenges. 

“Having a servant of the Lord here with us gave us encouragement and strength … we sometimes need when we are feeling tired,” Sousa said. 

Collaborating with Catholics 

While in Lisbon, Elders Soares and Whiting met with Cáritas Portugal, the humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church (and one of the main humanitarian organizations in Portugal).  

Elder Soares has previous experience with Cáritas. The Church has collaborated with Cáritas International in the Caribbean, an area of the Church Elder Soares oversees. For him, working with an organization like Cáritas is part of the Christian mission. 

“We saw people who are willing to help others and bless the lives of those who are in need,” Elder Soares said. “We came in with the desire to support any good initiatives they have, and we found out that they are doing so good for the well-being of people in Portugal.” 

"We work with people's problems, trying to find solutions and paths that are not like cooking recipes. Each person's problem is unique and unlike any other,” said Rita Valadas, President of Cáritas Portugal. 

She continued, “When we meet [organizations] that want to come improve other people's lives, that’s good.” 

The two organizations have already scheduled a meeting where local leaders will begin to discuss opportunities to work together to bless God’s children in the area. 

Elders Soares and Whiting continued their relationship building by visiting the Catholic Patriarch of Lisbon, Bishop Rui Valério, as well as Prof. Dr. Father Peter Stilwell, Interfaith Coordinator in the Portuguese Catholic Church. 

For Father Stilwell, it is important to create a dialogue between the two religions and not let doctrinal differences prevent working together on common objectives. 

“As we get to know one another, you find that you can be friends … And there are many things that we can do together, such as help the destitute and the helpless,” said Father Stilwell. 

Speaking of both Cáritas and the Catholic church, Elder Soares said, “We [found] people with a real desire to bless others through their service, through their faith, and through their love for the Savior Jesus Christ.” 

Media Interview 

Elder Soares prerecorded a television interview for the show “Caminhos” on Rádio Televisão Portugal, which regularly is viewed by more than 200,000 people. He and Elder Whiting, as well as a local leader of the Church of Jesus Christ, were interviewed on a variety of topics, such as the growth of the Church in Portugal, self-reliance, humanitarian projects in the country, faith crises, and more. 

Elder Soares also shared a special message for the country. 

“Our message is a message of love,” he said. “We love God — that is the first and greatest commandment in the scriptures — but we also love our neighbors as ourselves. We are striving to strengthen this principle in the hearts of those who participate in our faith.”  
“Our message during this visit is exactly that: to invite everyone to experience God’s love and to act in His name by sharing love and care with those in need,” the Apostle continued. “At different moments in life, we all experience challenges and need help from one another. God’s love applies to every circumstance and moment in our lives. That is our greatest message.” 

Ministering to Members and Reuniting with Friends 

Elder Soares spent time teaching and ministering to members, young adults, and missionaries of the Church throughout all of Portugal. During his final remarks to members in the Porto area, he encouraged the members to put their trust in Jesus Christ. 

“He is our anchor through the storms of life. Let us never forget the promises we receive when we choose to follow His teachings — promises of peace, protection, and guidance.” 

He added, “Jesus Christ is all about effort. That is what the Savior values the most — dedication and hard work as we strive to become like Him.” 

Elder and Sister Soares served as mission leaders for the Porto Portugal Mission for the Church more than two decades ago. During this visit to Portugal, they were able to spend time with many of the individuals they came to love during that time and many of which Elder Soares credits as people who helped him become who he is today. He also has family roots in the country. These connections to the country made his ministry in the country feel more like a homecoming. 

Read this related Church News story How caring for flood survivors and visiting a lighthouse fit into Elder Soares’ European ministry