The Setubal Baby Has Arrived!

Hey family! Well, I was done with my email to you--again--but the copy center lady ended my session. So, now I get to rewrite what I already wrote.

Well, it's been another week like last week. Irma Vega is still really tired and needs to sleep a lot. So I've had more time to myself. She is very slowly getting better, so we have been able to get out a little more every day.

We had Zone Conference on Friday and it was a very uplifting experience for me. I was having a hard day and it was just what i needed. i was very uplifted and edified by the spirit that i felt there. elder rissi, who works in my area, gave a talk and he read (in english, ironically enough) the words to "how firm a foundation" which has always had a special place for me in my heart. truly, the Lord is with us.

I was also able to get to know irma west, who is a new sister from Essex, England. we spent the whole lunch hour talking together (yes, she has a delightful accent and i enjoyed noticing the differences in our varieties of english). i was able to give her advice and help with some struggles that she is having right now. i was glad to be the right person in the right place for her. i felt that i was able to say just what she needed to hear. it was nice to be helpful to someone again.

sunday we went to a birthday gathering for irmao caleira. he is very well-off and the food at the gathering was all very froo-froo. it looks nice, but tastes funny and is less-than-filling. i got to pick between the big bug (lobster) and the little bug (prawn). Yum. the soup was amazing though, caldo verde. i love portuguese soup!

that evening we had a lesson with rosaria. she is friends with a member, ana gaspar. ana approached us last week about teaching her friend. so we were able to teach her the first lesson over cammomile (camomile?) tea and cookies. rosaria is really searching for the truth and was excited to hear us teach her. we were able to teach her the next day again at ana's and we watched the restoration film. the Spirit was very strong as we watched and discussed how joseph smith also found the truth. i am excited to see her again next week. we hope she can get work off to come to church. ana did a great job with her.

here in setubal the members see it as part of their duty to feed the missionary. the result of this: i am getting a setubal baby, as we say here in the mission. it is very nice to be able to get to know the members and help them to be excited about sharing the gospel. i am doing my best to ward off the growth of my stomach. we'll see how successful i am.

mom also asked about my apartment. let me just say, it is a palace. it is large and new and nice and even has a heating system and a centralized vacuum. i had forgotten that vacuums existed! i am in awe every day at how nice it is. wow. the only draw back is that there are full-sized mirrors.

well, i hope that all is well and that you all have a great week! i love you!