Hello family! Thanks again for the updates! It's been another eventful week here in Faro. I'll start with yesterday and work backish.
Well, yesterday we were going about our work as usual, trying to bring people unto Christ, when I received a phone call from Elder Wardenburg, who was with me in the MTC and is now a secretary in the office. Yes, Jen, we all laughed here as well that he's in the office. He's a funny kid. So he gave me a call asking me when I was going home because he was filling out a report for President Terry. So I got my unofficial trunky call. It was very weird. So that got me to being weirded out for about an hour, when we got a call from President Terry. He asked for Irma Holtzclaw. I immediately started going through the possibilities. I thought that maybe something had happened in her family, but then I knew what it was--emergency transfer. So then President asked for me and confirmed what I thought. Irma Churak had gotten sick and had to go home, so President is doing the irma transfers three weeks early. So Irma Holtzclaw is going up to beloved Seixal with Irma Martinez and me and Irma Machado are staying together until April. Yep, I will be staying here until April. We are so sad to see Irma Holtzclaw go, but I know she will love Seixal. It was a big shock for all of us, so we've been running around to try and get everything done for her. I've been going through the freakout stages of staying not only in one area for four transfers, but being with the same companion for three of them. It will be good, I love Irma Machado, but I am a person who LOVES change, so it will certainly be a change for me.
We also heard this past week that our mission is going to be cut missionaries by 25% because other areas of the world are opening up to missionary work. So happy for the rest of the world, but sad for us.
Okay, on to other news. The three girls. They are still only three just Umara, Aidil and Claudia, but we had a couple of great lessons with them. We went back on Friday and Claudia was there on time. We asked how the reading was going and she said that she had finished 1 Nephi. Woah! I have never taught anyone who actually read the way I know that the Book of Mormon could be read. Finally! She not only read it, but loved it and remembered every detail about the reading. I was so excited. Umara came a few minutes late and read through 1 Nephi 8. She also remembered everything and loved it. Then Aidil showed up about 25 minutes late and had only read five verses. So as they came later the reading was less and less. But they all have very believing hearts and are open to the gospel.
However...we went to go get them for church (mind you it had rained that morning and we were SOAKED, I love living 20 minutes from the chapel...). So Irma Holtzclaw and I went to their dorm and buzzed up to the floor. Nothing. We buzzed again. Nothing. Again we buzzed. Nothing. Finally, after about 10 minutes (I'm sure the girls on the floor just love us by now) a girl came down and let us in. She ended up being the cousin of the Iranian guy we taught once. Random. So we knocked on the girls' door. Nothing. We knocked again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. So we left a note and hurried back so we could be on time to sacrament meeting. I was so sad, but I do realize that they are 18 years old, so there are some habits to be broken here. They are still excited about everything and we are going to be teaching them the Plan of Salvation tonight. I know it will bless their lives.
We also sang in sacrament meeting this week. Sister Nelson came over from Loulé and accompanied us. It went pretty well and the whole branch started crying, even President Nunes, who never shows emotion.
Some random happenings from this week: Diogo came to church even though his mom didn't. We have a man who likes to play the accordian right outside of our building some mornings, so we get polka versions of Somewhere over the Rainbow. Sometimes it's a man with a saxophone who plays great music. It's been a bit rainy the past week and so the roads have been very slick. Cobblestone is very slick when wet. I do miss cement sometimes. However, we were walking down the road, late of course, so we were walking really fast and all the sudden I heard Irma Holtzclaw squeal. (I was on teh phone of course). So I thought she had just slipped on the road. As it turns out, she had slipped on some dog doo doo that was on the road. I laughed SOOO hard at that. But, what's even better is that a couple of days later she did it again! The tragic part of all of this is that there is ZERO grass in Faro. Really, nothing. So she had to wipe her shoe off on a bush. We laughed really hard at her. Careful where you step! You must always be on your toes as a missionary.
Things are going just great here. We taught a girl named Wumi, who lives on the same floor as the other girls. She is from Nigeria and speaks English. She is great!
Life is good here. We are happy and working hard. This is the Lord's work. I have no doubts of this. Have a great week! I love you all!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
One Year Older and Wiser Too! Happy Birthday to You!
Hello family! Thank you for the emails! It was great to get the updates on the door and the President.
Well things are going great here. We had Zone Conference on Thursday and it was a great conference. We were all very edified by the Spirit and the pizza. We learned to protect our backs and our knees and to rely on the Spirit. We focused a lot on having the faith to find and that the Lord will guide us in our work. I have already seen this throughout my mission and am seeing it right now.
Friday I hit my one year mark! WOAH! It was crazy! My birthday was not my favorite day in the mission, so this day completely made up for it. My companions are wonderful. They kept surprising me all day. Irma Machado made fried chicken (and taught me how to make it :)). And then after our appointment with Albertina we got a call from our elders here in Faro. Elder Smith said that he needed to talk to us at the church. I was wondering what I had done. As it turns out, my companions had planned a surprise birthday party for me. We had juice, little biscuit things and Ana Lucia's amazing chocolate cake that they begged her to make. It was great! They sang "Happy Birthday" to me as well. I felt very loved. The day ended with a box of Lindt chocolate balls on my bed. YUM. A perfect way to end a birthday.
I can't believe it's been a year. My mission is starting to go really fast.
So not this Sunday but the last Sunday we were walking home and we had some extra time so I made a silent goal to contact people as we walked home. As we walked down the skinny sidewalk I saw two girls up ahead. So I decided to stop them. They seemed nice enough. They were smiling and all bundled up in giant coats. (No it's not that cold here. They were just from Africa.) So I stopped them and they were so nice and so open. They are studying at the University of the Algarve and gave us their numbers and we set up an appointment for Saturday. Throughout my mission I have not had great success with people actually following through on the appointments that we've made, but we called and confirmed and they were excited to see us.
So we went over to their dorm room at the university. And yes, it was very strange to be back at a university. Very strange. They buzzed us in the building and we were very warmly received by Umara and Aidil. They invited their friend Claudia to listen as well. We had our lesson in a little corridor right by the elevator. Before the lesson people were milling in and out and I wondered how it was all going to work out. But we sang a hymn ("I am a Child of God") and prayed. Then we told them about the restoration of Christ's church. The Spirit was so strong as we taught. These girls listened and understood what we were explaining. As I told them about Joseph Smith and the First Vision I felt the Spirit manifest the truth of it to me again. I then asked if they had ever heard of the Book of Mormon. Claudia perked up and responded that she had. In fact, she had a copy of it in her room and reads from it. She went really quickly to her room and got it for us. Her friend had given it to her and she seemed excited that we were from the same church that had the Book of Mormon. We finished the lesson and invited them to church the next day. They committed to coming and to reading and praying. During the whole lesson not one person entered where we were. It was an answer to prayer as we were able to have a reverent atmosphere.
That next day we went to pick them up for church at 9:15am. Aidil came down in pijamas. They had been up late studying and couldn't come to church, but they wanted to come later. So Irma Machado and Irma Holtzclaw went back to pick them up before Sacrament Meeting, as I was playing prelude. I only got to talk to them after the meeting, but the members were SOOO excited to see them. They were very warmly received. It was an answer to prayer. Really. They loved church and we were able to set up a family night with our members who are also from Cape Verde.
So that next night we had our family night. The girls showed really up late again, but to make up for it they brought a friend, Nancy! So...we were okay with them being late. We ate Cape Verdian couscous (AMAZING!). It's kind of like a bread. Kind of. The lesson was great and we were able to get to know them more. As we taught I could see in Claudia's eyes that the believed what we were teaching her. I am so excited to continue teaching these elect girls! It was an answer to prayer.
Yesterday we had a division with the irmas of Portimao and it was great to see Irma Rasmussen again. She'll be done in a few months and that's so weird to me.
Well, things are going great here. We are being greatly blessed with success. I know that this God's work. I am a representative of Jesus Christ. This is His church! I love you all!
Well things are going great here. We had Zone Conference on Thursday and it was a great conference. We were all very edified by the Spirit and the pizza. We learned to protect our backs and our knees and to rely on the Spirit. We focused a lot on having the faith to find and that the Lord will guide us in our work. I have already seen this throughout my mission and am seeing it right now.
Friday I hit my one year mark! WOAH! It was crazy! My birthday was not my favorite day in the mission, so this day completely made up for it. My companions are wonderful. They kept surprising me all day. Irma Machado made fried chicken (and taught me how to make it :)). And then after our appointment with Albertina we got a call from our elders here in Faro. Elder Smith said that he needed to talk to us at the church. I was wondering what I had done. As it turns out, my companions had planned a surprise birthday party for me. We had juice, little biscuit things and Ana Lucia's amazing chocolate cake that they begged her to make. It was great! They sang "Happy Birthday" to me as well. I felt very loved. The day ended with a box of Lindt chocolate balls on my bed. YUM. A perfect way to end a birthday.
I can't believe it's been a year. My mission is starting to go really fast.
So not this Sunday but the last Sunday we were walking home and we had some extra time so I made a silent goal to contact people as we walked home. As we walked down the skinny sidewalk I saw two girls up ahead. So I decided to stop them. They seemed nice enough. They were smiling and all bundled up in giant coats. (No it's not that cold here. They were just from Africa.) So I stopped them and they were so nice and so open. They are studying at the University of the Algarve and gave us their numbers and we set up an appointment for Saturday. Throughout my mission I have not had great success with people actually following through on the appointments that we've made, but we called and confirmed and they were excited to see us.
So we went over to their dorm room at the university. And yes, it was very strange to be back at a university. Very strange. They buzzed us in the building and we were very warmly received by Umara and Aidil. They invited their friend Claudia to listen as well. We had our lesson in a little corridor right by the elevator. Before the lesson people were milling in and out and I wondered how it was all going to work out. But we sang a hymn ("I am a Child of God") and prayed. Then we told them about the restoration of Christ's church. The Spirit was so strong as we taught. These girls listened and understood what we were explaining. As I told them about Joseph Smith and the First Vision I felt the Spirit manifest the truth of it to me again. I then asked if they had ever heard of the Book of Mormon. Claudia perked up and responded that she had. In fact, she had a copy of it in her room and reads from it. She went really quickly to her room and got it for us. Her friend had given it to her and she seemed excited that we were from the same church that had the Book of Mormon. We finished the lesson and invited them to church the next day. They committed to coming and to reading and praying. During the whole lesson not one person entered where we were. It was an answer to prayer as we were able to have a reverent atmosphere.
That next day we went to pick them up for church at 9:15am. Aidil came down in pijamas. They had been up late studying and couldn't come to church, but they wanted to come later. So Irma Machado and Irma Holtzclaw went back to pick them up before Sacrament Meeting, as I was playing prelude. I only got to talk to them after the meeting, but the members were SOOO excited to see them. They were very warmly received. It was an answer to prayer. Really. They loved church and we were able to set up a family night with our members who are also from Cape Verde.
So that next night we had our family night. The girls showed really up late again, but to make up for it they brought a friend, Nancy! So...we were okay with them being late. We ate Cape Verdian couscous (AMAZING!). It's kind of like a bread. Kind of. The lesson was great and we were able to get to know them more. As we taught I could see in Claudia's eyes that the believed what we were teaching her. I am so excited to continue teaching these elect girls! It was an answer to prayer.
Yesterday we had a division with the irmas of Portimao and it was great to see Irma Rasmussen again. She'll be done in a few months and that's so weird to me.
Well, things are going great here. We are being greatly blessed with success. I know that this God's work. I am a representative of Jesus Christ. This is His church! I love you all!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Hark! Hark! Hark!
Hello family! Thank you for the updates. Well, it's been another great week here in Faro. We went to Spain (the border, of course) last week. There wasn't much to see and it was a bit chilly, so it was pretty uneventful, though I can now say that I've seen Spain. This week we went out to a tiny island off of the coast by Tavira. It was short as well, but nice to toss a frisbee around again. I'll have to do that again soon.
This past week we had a great turn out for people at church. We had four investigators there and two less-actives! Everyone who said that they were going to come actually came. It was great to see. We made goals with a part-member family and they are working on them and achieving them. I'm so proud of them and can see a difference in them. I want to continue the goal making theme. I believe in the power of goals. They really help you out.
We went to a surprise birthday party for Arkadius, who is a member of the branch. His wife threw him a little party right after church and we sang to him and ate some amazing Cape Verdian food. YUM. It's such a blessing that I got called to a country that has really good food, even if it's foreign food to the country.
Laurinda's really progressing. It's subtle and small, but I can see a mighty change occurring in her heart. I am really starting to see people, especially less-actives, open up to the gospel. It's amazing to see.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We taught the Word of Wisdom to Felicia, who has a problem with drinking. We've been trying to teach it to her for about a week or two, but we've never been able to because she always has people over. But we taught it to her and committed her to living it and we are all grateful that we could be there to help her. At the end of the lesson I thought it would be fun to sing another hymn. I chose "In our Lovely Deseret." My companions snickered as we sang the second verse which is about the Word of Wisdom. It's really the little things that make me smile and laugh. Felicia liked the hymn as well.
Yesterday morning we were heading out to stop by someone's house when we felt like we should stop by an investigator that the elders had been teaching, Rute. She lives right by us and we've taught her before. So we stopped by there and she warmly received us and talked to us about how her life is not going the way she wants it to. We listened to her and comforted her. I really felt like I was living up to my baptismal covenant to comfort those who stand in need of comfort. I knew that we had been inspired to go over to her house. She is a great lady and the elders are excited for us to start teaching her if she is wanting to be taught and to commit.
Other than that things are pretty much normal. We have two family nights set up with members where they are going to be inviting friends over. I am very excited to see them taking part in the missionary work here in a more effective way.
Well, that's about it. We're doing well. I hope that all is well with you all. Have a great day!
This past week we had a great turn out for people at church. We had four investigators there and two less-actives! Everyone who said that they were going to come actually came. It was great to see. We made goals with a part-member family and they are working on them and achieving them. I'm so proud of them and can see a difference in them. I want to continue the goal making theme. I believe in the power of goals. They really help you out.
We went to a surprise birthday party for Arkadius, who is a member of the branch. His wife threw him a little party right after church and we sang to him and ate some amazing Cape Verdian food. YUM. It's such a blessing that I got called to a country that has really good food, even if it's foreign food to the country.
Laurinda's really progressing. It's subtle and small, but I can see a mighty change occurring in her heart. I am really starting to see people, especially less-actives, open up to the gospel. It's amazing to see.
Yesterday was an eventful day. We taught the Word of Wisdom to Felicia, who has a problem with drinking. We've been trying to teach it to her for about a week or two, but we've never been able to because she always has people over. But we taught it to her and committed her to living it and we are all grateful that we could be there to help her. At the end of the lesson I thought it would be fun to sing another hymn. I chose "In our Lovely Deseret." My companions snickered as we sang the second verse which is about the Word of Wisdom. It's really the little things that make me smile and laugh. Felicia liked the hymn as well.
Yesterday morning we were heading out to stop by someone's house when we felt like we should stop by an investigator that the elders had been teaching, Rute. She lives right by us and we've taught her before. So we stopped by there and she warmly received us and talked to us about how her life is not going the way she wants it to. We listened to her and comforted her. I really felt like I was living up to my baptismal covenant to comfort those who stand in need of comfort. I knew that we had been inspired to go over to her house. She is a great lady and the elders are excited for us to start teaching her if she is wanting to be taught and to commit.
Other than that things are pretty much normal. We have two family nights set up with members where they are going to be inviting friends over. I am very excited to see them taking part in the missionary work here in a more effective way.
Well, that's about it. We're doing well. I hope that all is well with you all. Have a great day!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
No More Parties - No More Crowns
Hey family! Thanks for the emails! I'll get right started, I have a lot of stories!
Well, I failed to recount something that happened this past week. We got back to our apartment on Sunday night after our day. We noticed that our water pressure was really bad. Hum, funny. Then we noticed that it was getting worse. Then we noticed that the water heater wasn't turning on. Then we noticed that we had no more water! Oh no! So, me being the hopeful thinker that I am, I waited until the morning to try and figure it out. So we woke up that morning. I fiddled around with the water heater. (Yes, I am trying to be more handy. And, no, I am not getting any more handy.) So that was not in any way useful. I waited until 8:15am when I deemed it late enough that I could call our landlord. I maybe might have woken him up, but is there a better way to wake up in the morning? So he groggily muttered out something and said that he would figure it out. So we were some dirty irmas that day as we did not shower, obviously. But we came back that night and the water was back on!
However, that morning we thought we would have enough water to flush the toilet--but we didn't. So Irma Holtzclaw had unscrewed something in order to try and get the lid off of the toilet tank thing. This created a leak. So that night we went home to a puddle in the bathroom floor. So we spent the next 45 minutes trying to get the screw back in and clean up the floor. Good thing my mother taught me how to turn off the water in the bathroom! Thanks Mom! It was an eventful finish to a funny problem. Really water is so important. That experience gave more significance to water and how the Lord says that He is the living water. We cannot live without water, as we cannot Iive without Him.
Our New Year's Eve, or Passage of the Year, as they say here in Portugal, was very lame. Really. Everything fell through. We were able to give an investigator some company, but for the most part we were trying to find people to talk to. NO ONE WAS OUTSIDE! We talked to a bunch of old men, the source of a lot of humorous things here in Portugal. One man asked us what we were doing that night to celebrate and we said we would be at home, sleeping. He laughed in our faces. It was so sad. The rest of the members had gone to Portimao for a party at the church. But we, by some miracle, found a vending machine, got some Fanta and drank Fanta at 10:30pm and took pictures. That was my New Year's Eve. New Year's Day no one was out. Seriously. No one. It was like a ghost town.
Well, yesterday was the last party in the season. They don't say "Happy Holidays" as we do, but "Boas Festas" which means, have good parties. Yesterday was the day of the kings. We saw school children around Faro wearing paper crowns. It was so cute.
I witnessed a miracle this week in all seriousness. I have been working with a less-active, Laurinda, since I got here. When I arrived she was still mourning her daughter, who had died years before. A mighty change has been made in her heart. She is so happy now. She thinks positively about her daughter's life and is at peace because she lived a good life. She loves hearing the gospel from us and especially singing the hymns. I never thought that she would come to church because she had shot me down numerous times. But, this past week we invited her and she came! We went to go pick her up (and we walked about a 5K at a speed walk before church to get everything done) and she didn't answer her door. So we walked back to church. When we got there she was already there! She had waited for us, but misunderstood when we were going to meet, so she went ahead without us! It was a miracle for me tos ee. She hasn't been to church since her daughter's death. I have seen such a change in her in my three months here.
Oh, Albertina got her cast off of her foot! That's pretty much the only progress she's made, but at least she's healing physically, right?
Well, today we are going to see Spain! We're going to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, where we can see Spain and a castle! We got our groceries bought in under five minutes. It was a feat! Well, things are going great here. We are having great experiences every day. Sunday night we really tried to find by the Spirit and we were blessed. We ran into an investigator who had disappeared, as she had moved, we made some great contacts and it was all because we felt like we needed to walk down a street we never would have. My testimony grew of the importance of heeding the Spirit in all apsects of our lives. Have a great week! I love you all!
Com grande, o grandíssimo amor,
Irmã Laura Thomas
Well, I failed to recount something that happened this past week. We got back to our apartment on Sunday night after our day. We noticed that our water pressure was really bad. Hum, funny. Then we noticed that it was getting worse. Then we noticed that the water heater wasn't turning on. Then we noticed that we had no more water! Oh no! So, me being the hopeful thinker that I am, I waited until the morning to try and figure it out. So we woke up that morning. I fiddled around with the water heater. (Yes, I am trying to be more handy. And, no, I am not getting any more handy.) So that was not in any way useful. I waited until 8:15am when I deemed it late enough that I could call our landlord. I maybe might have woken him up, but is there a better way to wake up in the morning? So he groggily muttered out something and said that he would figure it out. So we were some dirty irmas that day as we did not shower, obviously. But we came back that night and the water was back on!
However, that morning we thought we would have enough water to flush the toilet--but we didn't. So Irma Holtzclaw had unscrewed something in order to try and get the lid off of the toilet tank thing. This created a leak. So that night we went home to a puddle in the bathroom floor. So we spent the next 45 minutes trying to get the screw back in and clean up the floor. Good thing my mother taught me how to turn off the water in the bathroom! Thanks Mom! It was an eventful finish to a funny problem. Really water is so important. That experience gave more significance to water and how the Lord says that He is the living water. We cannot live without water, as we cannot Iive without Him.
Our New Year's Eve, or Passage of the Year, as they say here in Portugal, was very lame. Really. Everything fell through. We were able to give an investigator some company, but for the most part we were trying to find people to talk to. NO ONE WAS OUTSIDE! We talked to a bunch of old men, the source of a lot of humorous things here in Portugal. One man asked us what we were doing that night to celebrate and we said we would be at home, sleeping. He laughed in our faces. It was so sad. The rest of the members had gone to Portimao for a party at the church. But we, by some miracle, found a vending machine, got some Fanta and drank Fanta at 10:30pm and took pictures. That was my New Year's Eve. New Year's Day no one was out. Seriously. No one. It was like a ghost town.
Well, yesterday was the last party in the season. They don't say "Happy Holidays" as we do, but "Boas Festas" which means, have good parties. Yesterday was the day of the kings. We saw school children around Faro wearing paper crowns. It was so cute.
I witnessed a miracle this week in all seriousness. I have been working with a less-active, Laurinda, since I got here. When I arrived she was still mourning her daughter, who had died years before. A mighty change has been made in her heart. She is so happy now. She thinks positively about her daughter's life and is at peace because she lived a good life. She loves hearing the gospel from us and especially singing the hymns. I never thought that she would come to church because she had shot me down numerous times. But, this past week we invited her and she came! We went to go pick her up (and we walked about a 5K at a speed walk before church to get everything done) and she didn't answer her door. So we walked back to church. When we got there she was already there! She had waited for us, but misunderstood when we were going to meet, so she went ahead without us! It was a miracle for me tos ee. She hasn't been to church since her daughter's death. I have seen such a change in her in my three months here.
Oh, Albertina got her cast off of her foot! That's pretty much the only progress she's made, but at least she's healing physically, right?
Well, today we are going to see Spain! We're going to Vila Real de Santo Antonio, where we can see Spain and a castle! We got our groceries bought in under five minutes. It was a feat! Well, things are going great here. We are having great experiences every day. Sunday night we really tried to find by the Spirit and we were blessed. We ran into an investigator who had disappeared, as she had moved, we made some great contacts and it was all because we felt like we needed to walk down a street we never would have. My testimony grew of the importance of heeding the Spirit in all apsects of our lives. Have a great week! I love you all!
Com grande, o grandíssimo amor,
Irmã Laura Thomas
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Making History and Playing Santa
Hello family! I write to you from a movie theater. Yep. That's the only internet place on this side of town. The smell of popcorn is VERY enticing. But this keyboard doesn't stick so it's nice.
Well, we got our transfer calls yesterday and we found out that we will be the first tripla in history to stay together for a second transfer. We are really excited. Good things are happening here and none of us wanted to leave and we all get along great. We laugh a lot.
Christmas was really good. We successfully accomplished our Secret Santa project. Well...we got lost for about an hour, but it went really well. We went to the first place, which was an apartment building. So I buzzed up to the apartment to make sure that they were home. We didn't know how we were going to get into the building, but they buzzed us up without even asking who it was. I considered this a big blessing. So we jammed the soccer ball into the door so it would stay open and we waited outside for a while so they would dismiss the ring and think that we had buzzed the wrong apartment. It actually worked! So we stealthfully (is that a word or is it stealthily?) went up the elevators, dropped off the food, me and Irma Nelson went down the elevator and Irmas Machado and Holtzclaw knocked on the door and ran down the stairs. We walked along the building so they wouldn't see us (and good thing we did because the elders talked to the family and they said that the first thing that they did was run to the window to see who it was, but we left without a trace!)
The next family took a while to find. They live in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. We had to ask for directions about three times, the first two were guys who had NO IDEA where they were pointing us to, which you'd think the logical reaction would be to say that you didn't know and to NOT give directions. But we finally went to the gas station after an hour of wandering around these tiny towns. I was skeptical because my past experience with asking for directions at gas stations here in Portugal is that it is foreigners that work there and they have no idea where they even are. So, we walked in. I asked, again being a Doubting Thomas. The attendant, who was a Spaniard, responded and gave me PERFECT directions, including the time that each step should take. Really, they were the best directions I've ever gotten. I have no idea how he knew where to guide us to, but I was very surprised and grateful. We found their house and made our delivery. As we drove off, I spotted a bright pink house literally a minute away from the recipient family's house that I recognized. Yes, after an hour of searching, I had known exactly how to get there the whole time because, unbeknownst to me, the family lived by an investigator of mine, but around the corner. Well, it was a learning experience and now I know how to get there!
We heard a couple of days later from the elders that the first family was very grateful for the food. The father had had no money to get his children anything for Christmas and he was so grateful for the gift that we were able to provide through Irma Holtzclaw's generous friends. Being a Secret Santa is my favorite Christmas tradition from growing up and I was so grateful and blessed to be able to continue the tradition here in Portugal.
On Saturday we had a surprise baptism of one of the elders' investigators, Mihail (or as we call him Misha). He decided that day that it was time for him to get baptized, so baptized he was! It was a great baptism and we all enjoyed the Spirit. I was able to play the piano and the three of us saved the horrible interlude by singing accapella. Fortunately, we all sing, so we were able to bring back the reverence.
We had a great lesson with Laurinda, who is less-active, and she said that she would go to church with us!! It was a little miracle. She is so much happier now and is no longer mourning the loss of her daughter, which happened years ago. Truly, the gospel is blessing her life.
Well, that's about it! Things are going really well here. We're working hard and we are seeing little successes. I hope that you all enjoy a good New Year! I love you all!
Well, we got our transfer calls yesterday and we found out that we will be the first tripla in history to stay together for a second transfer. We are really excited. Good things are happening here and none of us wanted to leave and we all get along great. We laugh a lot.
Christmas was really good. We successfully accomplished our Secret Santa project. Well...we got lost for about an hour, but it went really well. We went to the first place, which was an apartment building. So I buzzed up to the apartment to make sure that they were home. We didn't know how we were going to get into the building, but they buzzed us up without even asking who it was. I considered this a big blessing. So we jammed the soccer ball into the door so it would stay open and we waited outside for a while so they would dismiss the ring and think that we had buzzed the wrong apartment. It actually worked! So we stealthfully (is that a word or is it stealthily?) went up the elevators, dropped off the food, me and Irma Nelson went down the elevator and Irmas Machado and Holtzclaw knocked on the door and ran down the stairs. We walked along the building so they wouldn't see us (and good thing we did because the elders talked to the family and they said that the first thing that they did was run to the window to see who it was, but we left without a trace!)
The next family took a while to find. They live in the middle of nowhere. Seriously. We had to ask for directions about three times, the first two were guys who had NO IDEA where they were pointing us to, which you'd think the logical reaction would be to say that you didn't know and to NOT give directions. But we finally went to the gas station after an hour of wandering around these tiny towns. I was skeptical because my past experience with asking for directions at gas stations here in Portugal is that it is foreigners that work there and they have no idea where they even are. So, we walked in. I asked, again being a Doubting Thomas. The attendant, who was a Spaniard, responded and gave me PERFECT directions, including the time that each step should take. Really, they were the best directions I've ever gotten. I have no idea how he knew where to guide us to, but I was very surprised and grateful. We found their house and made our delivery. As we drove off, I spotted a bright pink house literally a minute away from the recipient family's house that I recognized. Yes, after an hour of searching, I had known exactly how to get there the whole time because, unbeknownst to me, the family lived by an investigator of mine, but around the corner. Well, it was a learning experience and now I know how to get there!
We heard a couple of days later from the elders that the first family was very grateful for the food. The father had had no money to get his children anything for Christmas and he was so grateful for the gift that we were able to provide through Irma Holtzclaw's generous friends. Being a Secret Santa is my favorite Christmas tradition from growing up and I was so grateful and blessed to be able to continue the tradition here in Portugal.
On Saturday we had a surprise baptism of one of the elders' investigators, Mihail (or as we call him Misha). He decided that day that it was time for him to get baptized, so baptized he was! It was a great baptism and we all enjoyed the Spirit. I was able to play the piano and the three of us saved the horrible interlude by singing accapella. Fortunately, we all sing, so we were able to bring back the reverence.
We had a great lesson with Laurinda, who is less-active, and she said that she would go to church with us!! It was a little miracle. She is so much happier now and is no longer mourning the loss of her daughter, which happened years ago. Truly, the gospel is blessing her life.
Well, that's about it! Things are going really well here. We're working hard and we are seeing little successes. I hope that you all enjoy a good New Year! I love you all!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
A Forgotten Carol Christmas
Hello family! this email is coming to you a day early because perhaps the stores will be closed tomorrow. The endearing joys of Portugal.
This past week has been great! We had a fun p-day with the irmas, we went bowling and I didn't get last place! I only got second-to-last place to Irmã Oliveira, who is Brasilian and was bowling for the first time. (And, I was in last place the whole game until the 10th frame and I rolled a spare...at least I saved my dignity at the end and got a whopping score of 50! Some things do never change.)
We had our Christmas Conference the next day in Miratejo and it was FANTASTIC! President and Irma Terry are incredible. They had a few surprises for us at the Conference. One was that they had gotten a DVD version of the Forgotten Carols and they had us watch it. I thought of you all and remembered when Dad told me the story for the first time. For me, that was a tender mercy. They also gave us a book full of our favorite recipes. Thanks Mom for sending those in! We were so grateful to Irma Terry for putting that together. The Spirit was strong as President and Irma Terry testified about Christ's divinity and gave us insights into the scriptures. It was very edifiying and I got to catch up with the elders I was in the MTC with, which was nice.
Well, one funny thing here in Portugal is that there are Santas hanging off of balconies and windows ALL over the apartment building. I guess since no one lives in houses, they don't have chimneys, so Santa just has to come through the window rather than down the chimney. I might buy one of them for next year, as tackey as they are.
Well we've had some success this past week. We marked Diogo for baptism! He is SOOO excited to learn and to be baptized. His face lit up when we asked him and his grandmother cried. Unfortunately, his mother and father are divorced and he's with his father on Sundays, since he works every other day of the week and he doesn't make any effort to bring him to church. But we're working on it. Diogo is SOOO excited though.
We also tried to mark a date with Albertina again. The Spirit spoke through me as I extended the committment to her, and I was shocked when she said no because of the strength of the Spirit in the room. She wants to get baptized, but she has difficulty in accepting some of the commandments. It just about broke my heart, but she has her agency and we're hoping that she will gain the faith to keep the commandments.
This Sunday all of Irma Nelson's piano students had a recital for Christmas. The sacrament meeting room was PACKED with standing room only. President and Irma Terry came down to watch it and it was wonderful. The room was super stuffy and the students are progressing really well. I was proud of them and of Irma Nelson. She does a great job with them. She also had me play the violin at the recital with her at the piano. We played "O Holy Night" and I had flashbacks of when that went horribly wrong years ago in church, but it went well this time and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was nice to play again. I also directed our missionary choir at the conference as we sang "Where You There?" It's nice to be able to participate in music again.
Another way that we are participating in music is that we are going door to door caroling! It's actually been a GREAT experience. We've found some great people (families!!!) and we have fun with people thinking that we want money...but it's been very positive.
Oh! About Christmas, you can call this number at 4:30 my time so I think 10:30CST, 289801488. I think you need to put 351 before it. You have my cell number if you need it.
Well, I'm out of time. I'll talk to you soon! I love you all! I might be able to email tomorrow, so please let me know how you are all doing! I love you! Merry Christmas!
This past week has been great! We had a fun p-day with the irmas, we went bowling and I didn't get last place! I only got second-to-last place to Irmã Oliveira, who is Brasilian and was bowling for the first time. (And, I was in last place the whole game until the 10th frame and I rolled a spare...at least I saved my dignity at the end and got a whopping score of 50! Some things do never change.)
We had our Christmas Conference the next day in Miratejo and it was FANTASTIC! President and Irma Terry are incredible. They had a few surprises for us at the Conference. One was that they had gotten a DVD version of the Forgotten Carols and they had us watch it. I thought of you all and remembered when Dad told me the story for the first time. For me, that was a tender mercy. They also gave us a book full of our favorite recipes. Thanks Mom for sending those in! We were so grateful to Irma Terry for putting that together. The Spirit was strong as President and Irma Terry testified about Christ's divinity and gave us insights into the scriptures. It was very edifiying and I got to catch up with the elders I was in the MTC with, which was nice.
Well, one funny thing here in Portugal is that there are Santas hanging off of balconies and windows ALL over the apartment building. I guess since no one lives in houses, they don't have chimneys, so Santa just has to come through the window rather than down the chimney. I might buy one of them for next year, as tackey as they are.
Well we've had some success this past week. We marked Diogo for baptism! He is SOOO excited to learn and to be baptized. His face lit up when we asked him and his grandmother cried. Unfortunately, his mother and father are divorced and he's with his father on Sundays, since he works every other day of the week and he doesn't make any effort to bring him to church. But we're working on it. Diogo is SOOO excited though.
We also tried to mark a date with Albertina again. The Spirit spoke through me as I extended the committment to her, and I was shocked when she said no because of the strength of the Spirit in the room. She wants to get baptized, but she has difficulty in accepting some of the commandments. It just about broke my heart, but she has her agency and we're hoping that she will gain the faith to keep the commandments.
This Sunday all of Irma Nelson's piano students had a recital for Christmas. The sacrament meeting room was PACKED with standing room only. President and Irma Terry came down to watch it and it was wonderful. The room was super stuffy and the students are progressing really well. I was proud of them and of Irma Nelson. She does a great job with them. She also had me play the violin at the recital with her at the piano. We played "O Holy Night" and I had flashbacks of when that went horribly wrong years ago in church, but it went well this time and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was nice to play again. I also directed our missionary choir at the conference as we sang "Where You There?" It's nice to be able to participate in music again.
Another way that we are participating in music is that we are going door to door caroling! It's actually been a GREAT experience. We've found some great people (families!!!) and we have fun with people thinking that we want money...but it's been very positive.
Oh! About Christmas, you can call this number at 4:30 my time so I think 10:30CST, 289801488. I think you need to put 351 before it. You have my cell number if you need it.
Well, I'm out of time. I'll talk to you soon! I love you all! I might be able to email tomorrow, so please let me know how you are all doing! I love you! Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree
Hello dear family! Thank you so much for the emails and the updates about everything going on in Texas and Utah. Let me just say how grateful I am that it is not snowing here. It's gotten really cold at night, and unfortunately someone dropped the heater and now it's broken (and no, it was not me, surprisingly enough), but we have the hope that we can fix it as we have some handy elders in the area. But my hot water bottle and five layers between clothing and blankets keep me nice and warm at night.
Well, I write to you from Lisbon. Yep, that's right, I'm actually in Lisbon right now. We have our Christmas Conference tomorrow in Miratejo (just south of Lisbon), so the whole Algarve zone came up for the conference. There will be bowling today. We are all excited. Most of the irmas are getting together to go bowling today. It should be really fun.
This past week has been BUSY! Albertina is doing well, she has a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but she just needs to act upon it. She knows she needs to be baptized and really live the gospel, but something's holding her back. But she'll figure it out. Diogo is also doing really well. He came to church and has been doing his reading. He is really participating in the lessons now and is excited to see us.
Felicia, the less-active that we found on the street about a month ago, came to church! We walked with her to church and she loved it. She really wants to get her life in order and is starting to really comprehend the gospel better. I was so excited that she came to church! It's been a few years for her. She is reading from the Book of Mormon as well. She's progressing very well.
We've run into a surprising number of Muslims this week. First we met Behrooz, who is from Iran. We don't know if he is Muslim, but he really wants to learn about the Church and is the nicest person ever. We also met Abido, who is from Morrocco. He was VERY Muslim, but very respectful, though he spoke a mixture of Portuguese and Arabic. Fortunately, Irma Machado speaks a little Arabic, so she was able to understand what he said. It was a very postitive experience both times.
Saturday it was POURING almost all day. Fortunately I had my red polkadot umbrella with me, but my legs and feet were SOAKED all evening and night because we were at the chapel all evening for the branch "dinner" that turned into a party, as I had predicted. We all had a good time and ate great food. There are some members of the branch that can really dance. Wow! I was shocked! Before the party some people were decorating and they set up the Christmas tree. There were some extra decorations, so Ana Marta, the branch president's daughter, who is very serious, quiet and a bit sullen, went to town and decorated me! So I became a Christmas tree as well. Don't worry, we took pictures. :)
The next day we had a couple of devotionals. We watched the First Presidency Christmas devotional, which was wonderful and way too short! I loved when President Eyring talked about making aluminum foil balls to throw at Samuel the Lamanite. Albertina came and watched that devotional, well, actually, we picked her up as she has a broken foot with a member, Noemia. Then she stayed for the branch's devotional. The devotional was actually pretty good, not too long and "Silent Night" was only a little funny...I maybe might have had to stare at my hymnal to keep from laughing...
We've been finding some great people to teach and one of our new investigators, Lena, even made us lunch on Monday! The work is going really well here and I am loving Faro.
I am excited for Christmas! I can't believe that it's next week! Wow! This month is going by soooo fast. I hit 11 months in the mission yesterday I realized this morning. I'm almost a year out! I can't believe it! Well, I hope that you all have a great day. I love you all! Merry Christmas!
Well, I write to you from Lisbon. Yep, that's right, I'm actually in Lisbon right now. We have our Christmas Conference tomorrow in Miratejo (just south of Lisbon), so the whole Algarve zone came up for the conference. There will be bowling today. We are all excited. Most of the irmas are getting together to go bowling today. It should be really fun.
This past week has been BUSY! Albertina is doing well, she has a testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, but she just needs to act upon it. She knows she needs to be baptized and really live the gospel, but something's holding her back. But she'll figure it out. Diogo is also doing really well. He came to church and has been doing his reading. He is really participating in the lessons now and is excited to see us.
Felicia, the less-active that we found on the street about a month ago, came to church! We walked with her to church and she loved it. She really wants to get her life in order and is starting to really comprehend the gospel better. I was so excited that she came to church! It's been a few years for her. She is reading from the Book of Mormon as well. She's progressing very well.
We've run into a surprising number of Muslims this week. First we met Behrooz, who is from Iran. We don't know if he is Muslim, but he really wants to learn about the Church and is the nicest person ever. We also met Abido, who is from Morrocco. He was VERY Muslim, but very respectful, though he spoke a mixture of Portuguese and Arabic. Fortunately, Irma Machado speaks a little Arabic, so she was able to understand what he said. It was a very postitive experience both times.
Saturday it was POURING almost all day. Fortunately I had my red polkadot umbrella with me, but my legs and feet were SOAKED all evening and night because we were at the chapel all evening for the branch "dinner" that turned into a party, as I had predicted. We all had a good time and ate great food. There are some members of the branch that can really dance. Wow! I was shocked! Before the party some people were decorating and they set up the Christmas tree. There were some extra decorations, so Ana Marta, the branch president's daughter, who is very serious, quiet and a bit sullen, went to town and decorated me! So I became a Christmas tree as well. Don't worry, we took pictures. :)
The next day we had a couple of devotionals. We watched the First Presidency Christmas devotional, which was wonderful and way too short! I loved when President Eyring talked about making aluminum foil balls to throw at Samuel the Lamanite. Albertina came and watched that devotional, well, actually, we picked her up as she has a broken foot with a member, Noemia. Then she stayed for the branch's devotional. The devotional was actually pretty good, not too long and "Silent Night" was only a little funny...I maybe might have had to stare at my hymnal to keep from laughing...
We've been finding some great people to teach and one of our new investigators, Lena, even made us lunch on Monday! The work is going really well here and I am loving Faro.
I am excited for Christmas! I can't believe that it's next week! Wow! This month is going by soooo fast. I hit 11 months in the mission yesterday I realized this morning. I'm almost a year out! I can't believe it! Well, I hope that you all have a great day. I love you all! Merry Christmas!
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