Hello dearest family! Thank you for all of the updates and the prayers, and everything. I am doing really well and things are going well here in Olivais. The transfer is really starting to fly by and I can't believe it.
I thought I would start off by telling you about where it is that I am emailing from. I am at a metro station, still inside the station, in a teeny, tiny little internet cafe. Actually, it is half an internet cafe and half a hair salon. There are hair ads all over the little cafe. And to make it better, the people who own the shop are from India, so they play this crazy Indian music in the background. The people who own it always speak in broken English to us. It's really funny. Quite a contrast to the quiet, cute little library where I emailed from in Seixal.
It's been a good week here in Olivais. Lucy is doing really well. I am amazed with her. She is really trying to "put off the natural man" and change her life to live the gospel better. She is doing so well. She is speaking to her children in English and they are understanding her. I think they will soon start responding in English as well. Lucy has a great heart and she loves having us over, which is very refreshing.
Tania is doing well as well, she is a recent convert from Angola. She is so great and, when gross guys are hitting on her at the gym, she tells them that she has her law of chastity. She's so great and is really trying to live the gospel as well.
We found a few new people last week through less-actives. I already mentioned Ana Paula and we haven't been able to teach her again as she has been busy, but we found Felizmina, who is from Moçambique and has already been meeting witht he missionaries in Moçambique for over a year. She knows a lot about the gospel already, but we are trying to get her to church.
Pedro is doing well too, but he didn't go to church. Going to church and reading and praying are SOOO crucial and so basic and so important.
Sunday was an interesting day. We did more contacts in English than in Portuguese. We've started carrying around pamphlets in English so we can hand them out. The best contact was with a German couple who happened to be missionaries for the Jehovah's Witnesses here to teach the Chinese about their religion. We met them in the metro station and we started up a conversation with the man. His wife came over and she was super interested in learning about the Church. She asked some great questions and was so curious. I was able to testify about prophets and modern revelation as well as the Book of Mormon. They were very respectful and nice and had a sincere interest in learning. I hope that we were able to plant some seeds for them.
My apartment is the hub for all of the irmãs who need to come up to Lisbon. In the past week we've had six irmãs here. Wow. It's been fun to get to know some of the irmãs who are serving in areas I've not been.
Last week we had an appointment set up with Teresa, a new investigator and we brought Maria Encarnação, who is a recent convert of the APs in the other ward, with us to teach. She drove us over (whichw as really nice) but then we got really really lost. It ended up being exactly what needed to happen ebcause she really needed to talk to us and have us listen and give her support. God is very much in charge of this work and we helped her come unto Christ through Him guiding us, as He is always doing.
Sunday we also saw a group of old men playing bocci ball. It was soooo cute! I never thought I would actually see people playing bocci ball, which is like curling on grass or concrete. I love the culture here. I forget how different it is to the States, but it feels like second nature to me. We got to see a film that the Church just put out called Finding Happiness yesterday in Portuguese. I think they filmed it according to the regions of the world because all of the filming was done in Europe and the accent of the man was in Portuguese from Portugal. I didn't even realize that it was Europe until halfway through I realized that it wasn't the States, then I started realizing all fothe differences. I love being here in Portugal in this culture. The people here are so wonderful.
I hope that you are all doing so well. I love you so much and think of you often (but not too often, don't worry). Have a great week and continue strong in the gospel! It makes all the difference in the world.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
American in Lisbon
Hello family! I am glad to hear that everything is going well for all of you. I appreciate all of the updates that you all gave me. Before I begin the updates I would like to send a shout out to the whole family about the holidays that we will have: Happy Birthday (late, sorry!) to Dad, Happy Father's day, Jeremy and Dad, Happy Birthday Jen and John, and Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad and Jeremy and Kat. I think I got it all.
Things are going really well here in Olivais. It's really weird to be here and I am still adjusting, but I'm liking it more and more every day. I never imagined that I would be living in the city, I am such a country lover. We take the bus and the metro every day, so I am no longer on the train every day. I am in a ward that goes to a BEAUTIFUL chapel. Wow. We drove by it when we were here before. It is in a big beautiful old house in a great area. It has beautiful wood floors and I love it. The ward struggles a bit here and we are really working on re-activation, as that is what President Terry wants from us.
However, we have also been able to find two new investigators, which has been huge. We only had two other people we were working with, so that doubles our teaching pool! Yay! We are really being blessed. Both of them, Teresa and Ana Paula, are really ready for the gospel. They are so ready to learn and are excited to go to church as well. We just started talking to Teresa on the street and then taught her the next day. Then we went over to Ana Paula's house because her dad is less-active, and she was SUPER interested in the gospel. We had a great first lesson with her yesterday. I hope things continue to progress and grow here.
We are also working with a woman named Lucy. She is American and was deported to Portugal from the US because she was born here in Portugal. She's had a rough life and is still trying to figure things out. She was raised in the Church, but was excommunicated, so we are re-teaching her everything. She has such a hunger to learn and to do all she can to be better. She has three kids, two twins, Gabriel and Gabriella, and a baby, Anjolina. The twins speak Portuguese and not much English and Lucy only speaks English and broken Portuguese. That's a problem. Because of the background I've had in languages and in studying language learning I could see that. Lucy had been talking to her kids in broken Portuguese, so they really couldn't communicate all that well. So we talked to her about speaking only in English with them, because it is vital that they learn English natively so they can communicate with their mom. How grateful I am that I was able to put my education to use. Thank you BYU. But she is great and I love being able to teach in English. I can express myself well in Portuguese, but it's so different speaking in English and understanding every meaning that Lucy says.
My companion is Irmã Ives. She is GREAT! She is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Can you believe that, Mom? She knows where Holt is as well. She is a convert to the Church and joined when she was 18. The rest of her family is Catholic as well. It's been wonderful to serve with her and we get along really well. I am loving serving with her, but I'm sad that we will only be together for one transfer, because she is finishing her mission at the end of this transfer. But I am loving her and loving being here in Olivais, though I miss Seixal a lot. It was a wonderful area and I hope to be able to go back to see the people there.
Nothing too funny happened this week, so I will recount two funny stories from the week before that got erased.
A week ago SAturday we went down to an old abandoned chapel of ours to fix up. It needed a LOT of love. The grounds were all over grown and I didn't even go in the building. We just focused on cleaning up the grounds to begin with. It was really hot, but really really fun. We were low on tools, but high in spirits. Elder Hawkins immediately weilded a saw and took to the overgrown palm. He started hacking off branches to make it look better. So, seeing a need to dice up the HUGE fronds, I weilded my own tool: the hatchet. That's right family, I was using a hatchet. I also took pictures of this, don't worry. So I started chopping up the fronds and I felt very empowered and I remembered all the good times at Eagle Scout projects. I loved helping out at those. We cleared out all of the brush and started ripping up all of the dead grass. It looked quite a bit better when we had to leave. Before we left, however, we grabbed lemons off of the lemon tree. The elders used the pitch fork we had (I know, we had the most RANDOM tools with us) and plucked a bunch of lemons off. We all then decided to eat some lemons straight up to see how sour they were. Woah dang! They were sour! I got some great pictures of everyone's faces. It was a great service opportunity and good zone bonding as well.
The previous Thursday we had interviews with President. Before interviews we wait in another room with other missionaries in the zone and with Irmã Terry. She is so nice and always brings a box of bolachas, or little biscuit cookie things. I decided that I wanted a picture with Irmã Terry to put on the phone, so I was heading over to take the photo with her. The chair was about a foot away from her, so I was planning on moving it after I had sat down. So I began my descent into the chair. She, in the meantime, had also seen the huge gap between our chairs and decided to move the chair before I sat down so we could be close together. Irmã Terry is a very nice woman. So, as you could imagine, this did not turn out according to plan. Fortunately, I was holding the box of bolachas without a lid and the elders of Seixal were sitting there with us, and the elders of Almada had just barely walked in. So of course, I only landed on half of the chair. I went flying. The bolachas went flying. I did remember that I was supposed to have quiet dignity as a missionary, so I used my right arm to keep my skirt from flying through the air as well. In the end, all I ended up with was a giant bruise on my forearm, and laughter that was really loud.
Things are going really well here. I promise I'll have some stories from here soon, but as for now, that's about all I got. Life is good. I love this work and I know that it is only through the gospel that we have the greatest happiness. Have a great week! I love you all!
Things are going really well here in Olivais. It's really weird to be here and I am still adjusting, but I'm liking it more and more every day. I never imagined that I would be living in the city, I am such a country lover. We take the bus and the metro every day, so I am no longer on the train every day. I am in a ward that goes to a BEAUTIFUL chapel. Wow. We drove by it when we were here before. It is in a big beautiful old house in a great area. It has beautiful wood floors and I love it. The ward struggles a bit here and we are really working on re-activation, as that is what President Terry wants from us.
However, we have also been able to find two new investigators, which has been huge. We only had two other people we were working with, so that doubles our teaching pool! Yay! We are really being blessed. Both of them, Teresa and Ana Paula, are really ready for the gospel. They are so ready to learn and are excited to go to church as well. We just started talking to Teresa on the street and then taught her the next day. Then we went over to Ana Paula's house because her dad is less-active, and she was SUPER interested in the gospel. We had a great first lesson with her yesterday. I hope things continue to progress and grow here.
We are also working with a woman named Lucy. She is American and was deported to Portugal from the US because she was born here in Portugal. She's had a rough life and is still trying to figure things out. She was raised in the Church, but was excommunicated, so we are re-teaching her everything. She has such a hunger to learn and to do all she can to be better. She has three kids, two twins, Gabriel and Gabriella, and a baby, Anjolina. The twins speak Portuguese and not much English and Lucy only speaks English and broken Portuguese. That's a problem. Because of the background I've had in languages and in studying language learning I could see that. Lucy had been talking to her kids in broken Portuguese, so they really couldn't communicate all that well. So we talked to her about speaking only in English with them, because it is vital that they learn English natively so they can communicate with their mom. How grateful I am that I was able to put my education to use. Thank you BYU. But she is great and I love being able to teach in English. I can express myself well in Portuguese, but it's so different speaking in English and understanding every meaning that Lucy says.
My companion is Irmã Ives. She is GREAT! She is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. Can you believe that, Mom? She knows where Holt is as well. She is a convert to the Church and joined when she was 18. The rest of her family is Catholic as well. It's been wonderful to serve with her and we get along really well. I am loving serving with her, but I'm sad that we will only be together for one transfer, because she is finishing her mission at the end of this transfer. But I am loving her and loving being here in Olivais, though I miss Seixal a lot. It was a wonderful area and I hope to be able to go back to see the people there.
Nothing too funny happened this week, so I will recount two funny stories from the week before that got erased.
A week ago SAturday we went down to an old abandoned chapel of ours to fix up. It needed a LOT of love. The grounds were all over grown and I didn't even go in the building. We just focused on cleaning up the grounds to begin with. It was really hot, but really really fun. We were low on tools, but high in spirits. Elder Hawkins immediately weilded a saw and took to the overgrown palm. He started hacking off branches to make it look better. So, seeing a need to dice up the HUGE fronds, I weilded my own tool: the hatchet. That's right family, I was using a hatchet. I also took pictures of this, don't worry. So I started chopping up the fronds and I felt very empowered and I remembered all the good times at Eagle Scout projects. I loved helping out at those. We cleared out all of the brush and started ripping up all of the dead grass. It looked quite a bit better when we had to leave. Before we left, however, we grabbed lemons off of the lemon tree. The elders used the pitch fork we had (I know, we had the most RANDOM tools with us) and plucked a bunch of lemons off. We all then decided to eat some lemons straight up to see how sour they were. Woah dang! They were sour! I got some great pictures of everyone's faces. It was a great service opportunity and good zone bonding as well.
The previous Thursday we had interviews with President. Before interviews we wait in another room with other missionaries in the zone and with Irmã Terry. She is so nice and always brings a box of bolachas, or little biscuit cookie things. I decided that I wanted a picture with Irmã Terry to put on the phone, so I was heading over to take the photo with her. The chair was about a foot away from her, so I was planning on moving it after I had sat down. So I began my descent into the chair. She, in the meantime, had also seen the huge gap between our chairs and decided to move the chair before I sat down so we could be close together. Irmã Terry is a very nice woman. So, as you could imagine, this did not turn out according to plan. Fortunately, I was holding the box of bolachas without a lid and the elders of Seixal were sitting there with us, and the elders of Almada had just barely walked in. So of course, I only landed on half of the chair. I went flying. The bolachas went flying. I did remember that I was supposed to have quiet dignity as a missionary, so I used my right arm to keep my skirt from flying through the air as well. In the end, all I ended up with was a giant bruise on my forearm, and laughter that was really loud.
Things are going really well here. I promise I'll have some stories from here soon, but as for now, that's about all I got. Life is good. I love this work and I know that it is only through the gospel that we have the greatest happiness. Have a great week! I love you all!
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Alma 29:10
Hello family! It was soooo great to hear from you all today! This morning the alarm went off and I thought, okay, I can get up, so I slowly rolled over and thought of the day ahead, and then I remembered, it's P-day! I get to hear from my family! Then I suddenly felt energized for the day. So thank you everyone for writing.
This week has really been soooo amazing. Really. The Lord is pouring out blessings here in Seixal. I titled this email from a verse in Alma 29:10 because that is how I feel. I find joy when I see my brethren (sistren really) coming unto Christ and repenting. I have been keeping you all updated on Sara's progress. We've taught her three times since last I wrote and she went to church (the whole block AND she brought her cousing) and she went to mutual. We wanted to talk to her about baptism on Friday, but the time wasn't right. So we waited. Yesterday we were talking with her and she asked us about her being baptized. She's already talked to Diego about performing the baptism. We talked about the baptismal interview questions, because she still has some preparing to do before baptism, with regard to her testimony. And she knows that, so she is going to take this time to study and to gain a stronger testimony. She knows the Church is true, but she wants to have a stronger testimony of it first. So we set her baptism for 19 July. I really hope that I can go to it.
The most amazing thing is that I have seen such a change come over her in the past couple of months. She has really matured and I can see the light of Christ entering her life. It is an incredible transformation that I can't really describe, but it is truly miraculous.
Alzira is really progressing as well. She's reading the Book of Mormon every day and going to church every week. She's quitting smoking and is praying with real intent to know if the Church is true. It is incredible. This all really came about because of the help of the members.
This past week we also had a Family Night at Clovis' house. Wow, Dad, Clovis LOVES you. Seriously. He has nothing but good things to say about you. We had Marcelo and Leo at the Family Night and it was so great. WE watched the Restoration video and bore testimonies. The Spirit was very strong and I know that they felt it as well. Clovis and Kenia are so great. Such great members.
This past week we've seen A LOT of our elders here. They are sitting right by me as I type. We are a very unified district, which is great. We've eaten at Irmã Rocha's house twice. Irma Rocha is a very honest woman. She is the wife of Elder Rocha, who is an area seventy. She told me that I laugh to loud to be the wife of a seventy. I guess there are worse things in the world than a healthy laugh. Her bathroom has music in it when you turn the lights on. Wow. That is fantastic. Irma Rocha has rules in her house to with regards to meals. The elders have to do all of the serving and clearing of plates, etc. And we also have bibs to wear. I picked the one with a turtle on it.
This week has also been a week of missing the bus. Seriously. We have missed the bus by a minute in places where the bus only comes every 1/2 hour, so we've done a lot of waiting as well.
Oh, Mom, you will be sad to hear this. I am getting a Seixal baby. Let me explain what a Seixal baby is. It is the result of the members feeding us all the time and getting fat. I avoided it for two months, but the inevitable has come to pass. Fortunately, this is my first area and I have another year to lose my Seixal baby. But for now, I'm enjoying the good food and the good company.
Things are going really well for us here in Seixal. We are being so blessed by the Lord and all that He has done for us already. It is so rewarding to see the change that comes over people as a result of living the gospel. It truly changes lives. I hope you all continue to do well. I love you so much!
This week has really been soooo amazing. Really. The Lord is pouring out blessings here in Seixal. I titled this email from a verse in Alma 29:10 because that is how I feel. I find joy when I see my brethren (sistren really) coming unto Christ and repenting. I have been keeping you all updated on Sara's progress. We've taught her three times since last I wrote and she went to church (the whole block AND she brought her cousing) and she went to mutual. We wanted to talk to her about baptism on Friday, but the time wasn't right. So we waited. Yesterday we were talking with her and she asked us about her being baptized. She's already talked to Diego about performing the baptism. We talked about the baptismal interview questions, because she still has some preparing to do before baptism, with regard to her testimony. And she knows that, so she is going to take this time to study and to gain a stronger testimony. She knows the Church is true, but she wants to have a stronger testimony of it first. So we set her baptism for 19 July. I really hope that I can go to it.
The most amazing thing is that I have seen such a change come over her in the past couple of months. She has really matured and I can see the light of Christ entering her life. It is an incredible transformation that I can't really describe, but it is truly miraculous.
Alzira is really progressing as well. She's reading the Book of Mormon every day and going to church every week. She's quitting smoking and is praying with real intent to know if the Church is true. It is incredible. This all really came about because of the help of the members.
This past week we also had a Family Night at Clovis' house. Wow, Dad, Clovis LOVES you. Seriously. He has nothing but good things to say about you. We had Marcelo and Leo at the Family Night and it was so great. WE watched the Restoration video and bore testimonies. The Spirit was very strong and I know that they felt it as well. Clovis and Kenia are so great. Such great members.
This past week we've seen A LOT of our elders here. They are sitting right by me as I type. We are a very unified district, which is great. We've eaten at Irmã Rocha's house twice. Irma Rocha is a very honest woman. She is the wife of Elder Rocha, who is an area seventy. She told me that I laugh to loud to be the wife of a seventy. I guess there are worse things in the world than a healthy laugh. Her bathroom has music in it when you turn the lights on. Wow. That is fantastic. Irma Rocha has rules in her house to with regards to meals. The elders have to do all of the serving and clearing of plates, etc. And we also have bibs to wear. I picked the one with a turtle on it.
This week has also been a week of missing the bus. Seriously. We have missed the bus by a minute in places where the bus only comes every 1/2 hour, so we've done a lot of waiting as well.
Oh, Mom, you will be sad to hear this. I am getting a Seixal baby. Let me explain what a Seixal baby is. It is the result of the members feeding us all the time and getting fat. I avoided it for two months, but the inevitable has come to pass. Fortunately, this is my first area and I have another year to lose my Seixal baby. But for now, I'm enjoying the good food and the good company.
Things are going really well for us here in Seixal. We are being so blessed by the Lord and all that He has done for us already. It is so rewarding to see the change that comes over people as a result of living the gospel. It truly changes lives. I hope you all continue to do well. I love you so much!
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
One crazy child
Hello family! It was good to hear about how things are going for all of you. I love the stories and updates. Oh, by the way, all of my pictures from the MTC and my first transfer got wiped from my camera, so that's why you haven't seen pictures yet.
A lot has happened this week and it has been great. The Lord is really blessing us here. We had a goal to focus on our member present lessons and finding new investigators, so we worked really hard to achieve our goals. And through the blessing of the Lord we were able to do so. We had great lessons with our members and now Sara, who we were about to drop, because of the members, is going to church and every youth activity, as well as reading the Book of Mormon every day and wanting to meet with us. It has been a miracle and I am so excited for her. She needed friends in a bad way and the youth in this ward have really taken to her. I am so grateful for them.
On Sunday we were focusing on finding new investigators and so we had set up appointments with a lot of people who were potential investigators. So we went and taught João and Denise, and Denise was NOT excited about us being there. We had knocked into João last transfer. But throughout the lesson, she began listening more and more intently and was really excited about the Book of Mormon. So that was great. I could really see the Spirit softening her heart toward the message of the Restoration.
That night, everything had fallen through, as happens quite often, and so we were walking to try and teach a reference, who was not answering the phone. Then I had the thought that we needed to go teach Suali, so we turned around and went there. I thought that we would not be able to make our goal, but I am here on the Lord's errand and so I must do His work His way. So we went there and met William, who is renting a room from Suali and her husband. He came in during the middle of the lesson and was messing around in the kitchen very quietly, Suali was reading a verse in the Book of Mormon and I really felt like we needed to invite him to listen. So I did and he was so interested and was applying the scripture in his life (Helaman 5:12) and relating it to BIble stories. I felt like I was talking to a member by what he was saying. They got the address to the Church and, fortunately, Suali already had two copies of the Book of Mormon, so she was going to give one to William. He is very ready to hear this message.
Then Monday we were walking around and everything had fallen through. I kept thinking about this market here called Fly. We had gone there a month ago or so and talked to a cashier there. I couldn't get it out of my mind because I had had a dream the night before that we were there. I thought it was really weird, but I couldn't get it off of my mind. So we went to Fly and met Kleide. She is another cashier from Brasil whose brother is a member. She brought up the church and got the address and promised about 12 times that she was coming and for us to wait for her at the entrance. We taught her some of what we believe and she talked about how she needs church in her life and how unhappy she is right now. I am so excited to see her at church. She is so ready and I know that the Lord really wanted us to talk to her.
I am so grateful for the blessings that have been poured out on us here. The Lord is really taking me by the hand here. I cannot believe it. I know that I cannot do this on my own and am so grateful that He is here with me.
So funny story: Saturday, everything had fallen through again, so we were getting a little treat. We went to go get a chocolate crescent at a little store in Arrentela. As we were walking there this little group of kids was playing. One was on a plastic tricycle and started to beeline it towards us. He ran over Irmã Johnson's foot and kept following us. So we brushed it off and got our crescents. Then we went back to the park, as it is the only place to sit down there. So we ate our crescents and this kid came up and kicked me in the shin. Don't worry, he was only four so it didn't really hurt. Then he started wrestling his older cousins to the ground, pulling on their ears. He then came up and tried to steal my soda. Fortunately, the cat-like reflexes that Dad instilled in me by the handslapping game came in handy and I succeeded in guarding my soda. We finished up our crescents and went on our way. We went up some stairs and the little boy followed us there as well. I was still thinking, oh what a cute little boy just playing with his cousins. Then, out of nowhere, he came flying up another flight of stairs and latched himself on to me. I was thinking, oh, he wants a hug, okay, well I can get him off of me. Then he grabbed my arm and bit me. That's right. He bit me. Luckily, he did not bite that hard and it was no problem and his bigger cousin came up pulled him off of me. The life of a missionary is full of craziness.
Life is good here and I am learning a lot. I love you all and hope that you continue strong in the gospel! Have a great day!
A lot has happened this week and it has been great. The Lord is really blessing us here. We had a goal to focus on our member present lessons and finding new investigators, so we worked really hard to achieve our goals. And through the blessing of the Lord we were able to do so. We had great lessons with our members and now Sara, who we were about to drop, because of the members, is going to church and every youth activity, as well as reading the Book of Mormon every day and wanting to meet with us. It has been a miracle and I am so excited for her. She needed friends in a bad way and the youth in this ward have really taken to her. I am so grateful for them.
On Sunday we were focusing on finding new investigators and so we had set up appointments with a lot of people who were potential investigators. So we went and taught João and Denise, and Denise was NOT excited about us being there. We had knocked into João last transfer. But throughout the lesson, she began listening more and more intently and was really excited about the Book of Mormon. So that was great. I could really see the Spirit softening her heart toward the message of the Restoration.
That night, everything had fallen through, as happens quite often, and so we were walking to try and teach a reference, who was not answering the phone. Then I had the thought that we needed to go teach Suali, so we turned around and went there. I thought that we would not be able to make our goal, but I am here on the Lord's errand and so I must do His work His way. So we went there and met William, who is renting a room from Suali and her husband. He came in during the middle of the lesson and was messing around in the kitchen very quietly, Suali was reading a verse in the Book of Mormon and I really felt like we needed to invite him to listen. So I did and he was so interested and was applying the scripture in his life (Helaman 5:12) and relating it to BIble stories. I felt like I was talking to a member by what he was saying. They got the address to the Church and, fortunately, Suali already had two copies of the Book of Mormon, so she was going to give one to William. He is very ready to hear this message.
Then Monday we were walking around and everything had fallen through. I kept thinking about this market here called Fly. We had gone there a month ago or so and talked to a cashier there. I couldn't get it out of my mind because I had had a dream the night before that we were there. I thought it was really weird, but I couldn't get it off of my mind. So we went to Fly and met Kleide. She is another cashier from Brasil whose brother is a member. She brought up the church and got the address and promised about 12 times that she was coming and for us to wait for her at the entrance. We taught her some of what we believe and she talked about how she needs church in her life and how unhappy she is right now. I am so excited to see her at church. She is so ready and I know that the Lord really wanted us to talk to her.
I am so grateful for the blessings that have been poured out on us here. The Lord is really taking me by the hand here. I cannot believe it. I know that I cannot do this on my own and am so grateful that He is here with me.
So funny story: Saturday, everything had fallen through again, so we were getting a little treat. We went to go get a chocolate crescent at a little store in Arrentela. As we were walking there this little group of kids was playing. One was on a plastic tricycle and started to beeline it towards us. He ran over Irmã Johnson's foot and kept following us. So we brushed it off and got our crescents. Then we went back to the park, as it is the only place to sit down there. So we ate our crescents and this kid came up and kicked me in the shin. Don't worry, he was only four so it didn't really hurt. Then he started wrestling his older cousins to the ground, pulling on their ears. He then came up and tried to steal my soda. Fortunately, the cat-like reflexes that Dad instilled in me by the handslapping game came in handy and I succeeded in guarding my soda. We finished up our crescents and went on our way. We went up some stairs and the little boy followed us there as well. I was still thinking, oh what a cute little boy just playing with his cousins. Then, out of nowhere, he came flying up another flight of stairs and latched himself on to me. I was thinking, oh, he wants a hug, okay, well I can get him off of me. Then he grabbed my arm and bit me. That's right. He bit me. Luckily, he did not bite that hard and it was no problem and his bigger cousin came up pulled him off of me. The life of a missionary is full of craziness.
Life is good here and I am learning a lot. I love you all and hope that you continue strong in the gospel! Have a great day!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Target Practice
Hello family! It was so good to hear from you and to see how everyone is doing. I am glad that the piano turned out. I am actually using my piano skills now too. I thought that would make you proud, Mom. I have to play for the Primary, so they gave me a piece to practice and I will be playing with them on Sunday. I have improved rapidly with practice. It's been nice to be doing something musical again.
This has been a good week so far. Last week was really hard, but the light at the end of the tunnel was zone conference. And it was amazing! We always have to prepare two talks and the topics were knowledge and the Atonement. I LOVED preparing my talks. Again, my companion was asked to speak. What can I say, I have the touch. President talked about the Atonement and throughout this transfer I have really started to see the Atonement becoming real in my life. More real than it has ever been in the past. I find myself relying on Christ, rather than on myself. I know that it is through Him that we can overcome all things and do all that we need to. The missionaries going home have the chance to give their "last testimonies," which really end up being words of advice, lessons learned and testimonies. My zone leader, Elder Hawkins, is going home, "dying," this transfer and so he gave his last testimony. It was weird to hear that because I am just beginning and he is ending. I could see just how short the time is here that I have and how I must make the most of it.
Saturday was soooo funny. Wow. By 1:00pm our entire day had fallen through and thus started the back-up plan. Wow. I had to figure everything out and we probably went through plans A-Z three times over. However, a series of funny events took place that made the day better. First, everything fell through so quickly. Then we got lost (my bad!). Then a random guy stopped his car in the middle of the road to talk to us and tell us that we were very pretty but that he didn't like President Bush. Seriously, he stopped his car in the middle of the road, just to say that? People are really funny. Then a drunk guy stopped us and wanted our number. We happily gave him a pass-along card with the office number on it. He kept turning the card over so it was upside down and trying to read it. Silly people. We admonished him to stop drinking and went on our way. A little later on in the day I pulled up the flap on my bag (I've downsized to John's little bag, which is perfect, thank you!) and felt something wet on my arm. Lo and behold, a bird had pooped on me and by some miracle, it only landed on my bag. The hits just kept on coming. But it made for a funny day. NOTHING worked out that day until that evening when we taught Deolande and gave her a Book of Mormon. That was great.
A theme/focus of this transfer is using members. Seriously, they make all the difference for the investigator. So Sunday I was feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of using the members and all the planning that it required, when suddenly church ended and I had set up a bunch of teaching appointments with members. It was only later, when I thought about it, that I realized how easy it had been and how the Lord had really helped me and held my hand along that process.
Yesterday we realized these lessons with members and they were AMAZING!!! The members were so great at friendshipping the investigator and helping them be comfortable. It was such a blessing. The lessons were 10X better because the member was helping with the teaching, relating with their own lives and helping with everything. Please talk to the missionaries in your wards and see if you can help them with teaching and fellowshipping. It will help them out so much.
Monday we had a district meeting with the zone leaders. I was in charge of the language lesson (again). I think I may be in charge of the language lessons in district meetings my whole mission. I have already done it about half of the meetings we've had. And I guess Elder Hawkins liked the lesson last transfer and asked me again. So this time I created a game! Let's make learning fun! So I made them practice giving directions and judged them on their creativity. They were all hopping around and being silly, while still learning.
That day Elder Smith was on a division here with Elder Holmes. The four of us went to the home of Humberto and Maria de Luz. They have two kids, Italo and Ingrid, who are SOOO cute! They are in the youth program. This family has had a lot of inactivity problems, so both sets of missioanries are working with them. We had a BLAST at their house. I love this family so much. They are Brazilian and they love that I love Brazil. Plus their accents are soooo cute! We played games, ate great food and laughed a lot. Elder Smith accidentally put on WAY WAY WAY too much piri piri sauce on his spaghetti. Whoops! His mouth was on fire and there was nothing he could really do about it. So what did the other three of us do? Of course, we put on some piri piri sauce on our food just to see how hot it was. I only put on three drops and it BURNED. Woah dang! It's fun for me to be around the elders. I feel like I have a bunch of little brothers.
This week I get to go to the office to work on renewing my visa. I get to see all of my elders from the MTC!! YAY! I'm super excited to see them and talk to them again.
Things are going well here. I know that the Lord is really taking me by the hand with the work here. There is no way that I, being as inexperienced and un-fluent in Portuguese as I still am, could be doing all that I am right now. I am not alone in the work I am doing here. He is right here beside me, as He is with all of you in whatsoever you are endeavoring to do. I love you all! Have a great week!
This has been a good week so far. Last week was really hard, but the light at the end of the tunnel was zone conference. And it was amazing! We always have to prepare two talks and the topics were knowledge and the Atonement. I LOVED preparing my talks. Again, my companion was asked to speak. What can I say, I have the touch. President talked about the Atonement and throughout this transfer I have really started to see the Atonement becoming real in my life. More real than it has ever been in the past. I find myself relying on Christ, rather than on myself. I know that it is through Him that we can overcome all things and do all that we need to. The missionaries going home have the chance to give their "last testimonies," which really end up being words of advice, lessons learned and testimonies. My zone leader, Elder Hawkins, is going home, "dying," this transfer and so he gave his last testimony. It was weird to hear that because I am just beginning and he is ending. I could see just how short the time is here that I have and how I must make the most of it.
Saturday was soooo funny. Wow. By 1:00pm our entire day had fallen through and thus started the back-up plan. Wow. I had to figure everything out and we probably went through plans A-Z three times over. However, a series of funny events took place that made the day better. First, everything fell through so quickly. Then we got lost (my bad!). Then a random guy stopped his car in the middle of the road to talk to us and tell us that we were very pretty but that he didn't like President Bush. Seriously, he stopped his car in the middle of the road, just to say that? People are really funny. Then a drunk guy stopped us and wanted our number. We happily gave him a pass-along card with the office number on it. He kept turning the card over so it was upside down and trying to read it. Silly people. We admonished him to stop drinking and went on our way. A little later on in the day I pulled up the flap on my bag (I've downsized to John's little bag, which is perfect, thank you!) and felt something wet on my arm. Lo and behold, a bird had pooped on me and by some miracle, it only landed on my bag. The hits just kept on coming. But it made for a funny day. NOTHING worked out that day until that evening when we taught Deolande and gave her a Book of Mormon. That was great.
A theme/focus of this transfer is using members. Seriously, they make all the difference for the investigator. So Sunday I was feeling a little overwhelmed at the thought of using the members and all the planning that it required, when suddenly church ended and I had set up a bunch of teaching appointments with members. It was only later, when I thought about it, that I realized how easy it had been and how the Lord had really helped me and held my hand along that process.
Yesterday we realized these lessons with members and they were AMAZING!!! The members were so great at friendshipping the investigator and helping them be comfortable. It was such a blessing. The lessons were 10X better because the member was helping with the teaching, relating with their own lives and helping with everything. Please talk to the missionaries in your wards and see if you can help them with teaching and fellowshipping. It will help them out so much.
Monday we had a district meeting with the zone leaders. I was in charge of the language lesson (again). I think I may be in charge of the language lessons in district meetings my whole mission. I have already done it about half of the meetings we've had. And I guess Elder Hawkins liked the lesson last transfer and asked me again. So this time I created a game! Let's make learning fun! So I made them practice giving directions and judged them on their creativity. They were all hopping around and being silly, while still learning.
That day Elder Smith was on a division here with Elder Holmes. The four of us went to the home of Humberto and Maria de Luz. They have two kids, Italo and Ingrid, who are SOOO cute! They are in the youth program. This family has had a lot of inactivity problems, so both sets of missioanries are working with them. We had a BLAST at their house. I love this family so much. They are Brazilian and they love that I love Brazil. Plus their accents are soooo cute! We played games, ate great food and laughed a lot. Elder Smith accidentally put on WAY WAY WAY too much piri piri sauce on his spaghetti. Whoops! His mouth was on fire and there was nothing he could really do about it. So what did the other three of us do? Of course, we put on some piri piri sauce on our food just to see how hot it was. I only put on three drops and it BURNED. Woah dang! It's fun for me to be around the elders. I feel like I have a bunch of little brothers.
This week I get to go to the office to work on renewing my visa. I get to see all of my elders from the MTC!! YAY! I'm super excited to see them and talk to them again.
Things are going well here. I know that the Lord is really taking me by the hand with the work here. There is no way that I, being as inexperienced and un-fluent in Portuguese as I still am, could be doing all that I am right now. I am not alone in the work I am doing here. He is right here beside me, as He is with all of you in whatsoever you are endeavoring to do. I love you all! Have a great week!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Divisions, Street Meeting and Getting Lost
Hello family! It was so great to be able to talk to all of you at the same time! YAY! I was reminded of when we were able to do sealings together. What a blessing modern technology is. Look I get to email on my mission!
Things are going well here in "Seixal" (I've only actually been to Seixal twice since I've been here). We are still searching out for people to teach and continuing to help those we are teaching progress. It's a process. Fredy still wants to be baptized, but he hasn't been coming to church, so he probably won't be able to be baptized on the 31st, but we will keep working with him to help him prepare for baptism. We haven't been able to meet with Marcelo, but he has been reading from the Book of Mormon, which is a great sign of progress with him. Alzira has been coming to church as well the past couple of weeks with her daughter Marisa. I sat by them at church and Marisa was trying so hard to be good, so I ended up drawing with her and learning lots of new words. She seemed to appreciate the time I took with her.
Kelson and Ana are doing well. Kelson understands the gospel and the scriptures so well for someone who has been a member for only three months! He's amazing and has the best attitude about life. The life of an imigrant is not an easy one here, but he is always so happy and smiley and asks us what he can do for us. Ana is amazing as always, but is not looking forward to moving to England next Sunday. I will miss her, but I know that Pedro will take good care to nurture her in the gospel there.
I have found that I am working with a lot of less active women here over the past couple of weeks. I love visiting them and showing them the love i have for them. I am blessed with great love and compassion for them and I feel that one reason that I am here inthe Seixal area is for them. To nurture and bring them back to the fold.
Last week we did a division with the irmas in Almada. I went down to Almada with Irma Rasmussen and Irma Johnson stayed here and went with Irma Marinho. I had a great time on the division. I loved working in a different area and getting to know new people. Irma Rasmussen is great and kept me laughing. She is also a great cook, though her garlic biscuits were not my favorite thing...We're planning on doing another division this transfer with the irmas in Setúbal with Irma Kava and Irma Vea, who are actually cousins.
Monday Irma Johnson wasn't feeling well, so we stayed in most of the day. I got a lot of reading done and I felt like I was back at the MTC.
Yesterday was a day of getting lost. My goodness. Totally all my fault. I am the one who is supposed to know the area, but I kept taking us the long way to get everywhere. We probably walked a few miles extra because I kept taking the roundabout way there. We then found out that the zone was doing a street meeting down in Cacilhas, so we went down there with them and that was so fun! We did street contacts and talked about how important family is and how we can do family history.
So as an irma I tend to talk more to women on the streets. I just feel more comfortable with them and this is why. So on Sunday I contacted this guy who looked nice and receptive, which he was, but I think he was just more curious about the fact that I was female and American than the gospel. He kept inching closer when he was talking and I kept inching further and further back. We said goodbye and I put a little X by his contact information. Yesterday at the street meeting Irma Rasmussen and I contacted this guy from Senegal. We ended up speaking to him in English because his Portuguese wasn't very good. We talked to him about families in the gospel and then he asked if we had boyfriends. To which we replied, why yes we do. So family, in case you didn't know it. I have a boyfriend back in the States waiting to marry me when I get home. Oh the funny life of a sister missionary!
Yesterday I got told I was not going to be saved for the first time! We got into the house of this woman and we taught her the first lesson, with a LOT of interruptions on her part about her opinions about other religions, which were not favorable. Apparently, she didn't really like ours either. One thing is for sure, I walked away from that experience with a stronger testimony about the priesthood and the blessing that it is for all of us.
Life is good here. I am finding myself learning so much every day and I know that through striving to do my best, I will be able to do this work through the Lord, who is the source of all strength. We can do all things through Him. I know that the trials we have are for us to grow and to learn and that the Lord qualifies us through them. I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Things are going well here in "Seixal" (I've only actually been to Seixal twice since I've been here). We are still searching out for people to teach and continuing to help those we are teaching progress. It's a process. Fredy still wants to be baptized, but he hasn't been coming to church, so he probably won't be able to be baptized on the 31st, but we will keep working with him to help him prepare for baptism. We haven't been able to meet with Marcelo, but he has been reading from the Book of Mormon, which is a great sign of progress with him. Alzira has been coming to church as well the past couple of weeks with her daughter Marisa. I sat by them at church and Marisa was trying so hard to be good, so I ended up drawing with her and learning lots of new words. She seemed to appreciate the time I took with her.
Kelson and Ana are doing well. Kelson understands the gospel and the scriptures so well for someone who has been a member for only three months! He's amazing and has the best attitude about life. The life of an imigrant is not an easy one here, but he is always so happy and smiley and asks us what he can do for us. Ana is amazing as always, but is not looking forward to moving to England next Sunday. I will miss her, but I know that Pedro will take good care to nurture her in the gospel there.
I have found that I am working with a lot of less active women here over the past couple of weeks. I love visiting them and showing them the love i have for them. I am blessed with great love and compassion for them and I feel that one reason that I am here inthe Seixal area is for them. To nurture and bring them back to the fold.
Last week we did a division with the irmas in Almada. I went down to Almada with Irma Rasmussen and Irma Johnson stayed here and went with Irma Marinho. I had a great time on the division. I loved working in a different area and getting to know new people. Irma Rasmussen is great and kept me laughing. She is also a great cook, though her garlic biscuits were not my favorite thing...We're planning on doing another division this transfer with the irmas in Setúbal with Irma Kava and Irma Vea, who are actually cousins.
Monday Irma Johnson wasn't feeling well, so we stayed in most of the day. I got a lot of reading done and I felt like I was back at the MTC.
Yesterday was a day of getting lost. My goodness. Totally all my fault. I am the one who is supposed to know the area, but I kept taking us the long way to get everywhere. We probably walked a few miles extra because I kept taking the roundabout way there. We then found out that the zone was doing a street meeting down in Cacilhas, so we went down there with them and that was so fun! We did street contacts and talked about how important family is and how we can do family history.
So as an irma I tend to talk more to women on the streets. I just feel more comfortable with them and this is why. So on Sunday I contacted this guy who looked nice and receptive, which he was, but I think he was just more curious about the fact that I was female and American than the gospel. He kept inching closer when he was talking and I kept inching further and further back. We said goodbye and I put a little X by his contact information. Yesterday at the street meeting Irma Rasmussen and I contacted this guy from Senegal. We ended up speaking to him in English because his Portuguese wasn't very good. We talked to him about families in the gospel and then he asked if we had boyfriends. To which we replied, why yes we do. So family, in case you didn't know it. I have a boyfriend back in the States waiting to marry me when I get home. Oh the funny life of a sister missionary!
Yesterday I got told I was not going to be saved for the first time! We got into the house of this woman and we taught her the first lesson, with a LOT of interruptions on her part about her opinions about other religions, which were not favorable. Apparently, she didn't really like ours either. One thing is for sure, I walked away from that experience with a stronger testimony about the priesthood and the blessing that it is for all of us.
Life is good here. I am finding myself learning so much every day and I know that through striving to do my best, I will be able to do this work through the Lord, who is the source of all strength. We can do all things through Him. I know that the trials we have are for us to grow and to learn and that the Lord qualifies us through them. I love you all and hope you have a great week!!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Piri, Piri, A Baptism and Transfers
Hello family! It was so nice to hear from all of you today. It is so great to hear what is going on and to be able to laugh at the funny stories that are going on in your lives. I am very blessed to have all of you in my life. I love you all so much.
This past week we had Ana's baptism. It was so nice and went so well. We spent a great portion of the week preparing for the baptism, which included getting the program done, which took forever, and preparing a musical number, which took forever. We practiced a song for me to sing because we couldn't find a violin anywhere, but then at the last minute we found one, so we played " A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" which was pretty well done. Irmã Brady did a great job of getting the piano part down pretty quickly.
We finally met Ana's boyfriend, Pedro, who baptized her. He is great and was a fantastic missionary in Porto. We had a really fun time with them the night before her baptism. We ate dinner and played games. Her brother and his girlfriend were there and we were able to have a gospel discusison during dinner, which was great because it was really low key and we taught really important principles about the Plan of Salvation. Her brother, Ricardo, is hilarious! He couldnt make it to her baptism or confirmation, but I'm going to try and get him going in church.
Oh! Transfers! I am staying here in Seixal and so is Elder Gardner, but Irmã Brady is going to the AÇORES! Woah. She's afraid of the ocean and of flying, so President had to make sure that she would be able to handle going there. Elder Xidis is going zone leader and he's headed up to somewhere in Lisbon to be companions with Elder Halling, whose older sister Anna-Lisa was my Portuguese teacher. She was rad. Irmã Johnson is coming up from the Algarve to "greenie break" me and Elder Holmes is coming up to be my district leader. Lots of changes going on here in Seixal, but I'm really excited to work with Irmã Johnson, though I will really miss Irmã Brady. We've become good friends and laugh a lot together.
The baptism was great though. The camera girls came and filmed the whole thing, but not the baptism itself. Ana was so happy and so was Pedro. She is so amazing and I'm so sad that she's moving to England in a month. She's so great and has become a great friend.
Monday we all got together as a zone to have a zone meeting. It was fantastic. First I love my zone and all of the missionaries in it. It's so nice to get together with other missionaries and see what they are doing. We had a couple of talks given by the district leaders and Elder Davis spoke to us about giving a consistent and diligent effort, which I think is something we can do all of our lives. We talked later about the people who have been the "saviors" with a lower-case "s" in our lives. It was so interesting to see the influence that one person can have in our lives. I really hope that I can make that difference for someone here. The whole meeting was so edifying and I feel a greater desire to do all I can as a missionary.
After the meeting we had lunch! We at tacos, which was fantastic. It was nice to have something different to eat. The food here is fabulous, but it's all pretty much the same, so it's nice to mix it up a bit sometimes. Then afterword, some of the elders, Elders Mortensen, Flint and Coombs, decided to eat a piri piri. A piri piri is a really really hot pepper. So they each ate one straight up. I took pictures and then bemoaned the fact that I didn't take part in it, so Irmã Brady gave me a little prodding and so I decided to take the plunge myself and eat a piri piri. I, of course, didn't want to do it by myself so I make Elder Marriott do it with me. I was smart and didn't drink too much when I ate it, knowing that it made it worse, but Elder Marriott wasn't, poor guy. It was like fire though. Wow. It was really hot, but a good experience. However, I got a bit of a headache afterwords, so trade off there.
Life is good here. Our investigators are doing alright. None of them came to church on Sunday. Leo and Renata are working in Lisbon, so they can't come down. Celeste is still reading the Book of Mormon and progressing as is Renata.
I am loving my life and feel such satisfaction in this work. My Portuguese is coming along pretty well and I've been very blessed. I love you all! Have a great week!
This past week we had Ana's baptism. It was so nice and went so well. We spent a great portion of the week preparing for the baptism, which included getting the program done, which took forever, and preparing a musical number, which took forever. We practiced a song for me to sing because we couldn't find a violin anywhere, but then at the last minute we found one, so we played " A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" which was pretty well done. Irmã Brady did a great job of getting the piano part down pretty quickly.
We finally met Ana's boyfriend, Pedro, who baptized her. He is great and was a fantastic missionary in Porto. We had a really fun time with them the night before her baptism. We ate dinner and played games. Her brother and his girlfriend were there and we were able to have a gospel discusison during dinner, which was great because it was really low key and we taught really important principles about the Plan of Salvation. Her brother, Ricardo, is hilarious! He couldnt make it to her baptism or confirmation, but I'm going to try and get him going in church.
Oh! Transfers! I am staying here in Seixal and so is Elder Gardner, but Irmã Brady is going to the AÇORES! Woah. She's afraid of the ocean and of flying, so President had to make sure that she would be able to handle going there. Elder Xidis is going zone leader and he's headed up to somewhere in Lisbon to be companions with Elder Halling, whose older sister Anna-Lisa was my Portuguese teacher. She was rad. Irmã Johnson is coming up from the Algarve to "greenie break" me and Elder Holmes is coming up to be my district leader. Lots of changes going on here in Seixal, but I'm really excited to work with Irmã Johnson, though I will really miss Irmã Brady. We've become good friends and laugh a lot together.
The baptism was great though. The camera girls came and filmed the whole thing, but not the baptism itself. Ana was so happy and so was Pedro. She is so amazing and I'm so sad that she's moving to England in a month. She's so great and has become a great friend.
Monday we all got together as a zone to have a zone meeting. It was fantastic. First I love my zone and all of the missionaries in it. It's so nice to get together with other missionaries and see what they are doing. We had a couple of talks given by the district leaders and Elder Davis spoke to us about giving a consistent and diligent effort, which I think is something we can do all of our lives. We talked later about the people who have been the "saviors" with a lower-case "s" in our lives. It was so interesting to see the influence that one person can have in our lives. I really hope that I can make that difference for someone here. The whole meeting was so edifying and I feel a greater desire to do all I can as a missionary.
After the meeting we had lunch! We at tacos, which was fantastic. It was nice to have something different to eat. The food here is fabulous, but it's all pretty much the same, so it's nice to mix it up a bit sometimes. Then afterword, some of the elders, Elders Mortensen, Flint and Coombs, decided to eat a piri piri. A piri piri is a really really hot pepper. So they each ate one straight up. I took pictures and then bemoaned the fact that I didn't take part in it, so Irmã Brady gave me a little prodding and so I decided to take the plunge myself and eat a piri piri. I, of course, didn't want to do it by myself so I make Elder Marriott do it with me. I was smart and didn't drink too much when I ate it, knowing that it made it worse, but Elder Marriott wasn't, poor guy. It was like fire though. Wow. It was really hot, but a good experience. However, I got a bit of a headache afterwords, so trade off there.
Life is good here. Our investigators are doing alright. None of them came to church on Sunday. Leo and Renata are working in Lisbon, so they can't come down. Celeste is still reading the Book of Mormon and progressing as is Renata.
I am loving my life and feel such satisfaction in this work. My Portuguese is coming along pretty well and I've been very blessed. I love you all! Have a great week!
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