September

So, it´s already September, hard to believe isn´t it? It´s been a quick little month August has, and a hard one. We got to go back to work on the streets again on Tuesday, and it´s kind of like opening a new area. It´s going to take a little bit of time to get it going again, but I feel good about the work we´re doing here.

So, in response to Mom´s question: My companion is Sister Landro from unincorporated Salt Lake. She is great for me. She and I both like to sing and we know many of the same musicals which can be good and bad at the same time. We have similar tastes in music and movies and similar desires for the future. She is going into speech therapy. It seems wierd to me, but I´m older than her and she is my trainer. I am older than her in some ways, but not in others. She will go home in December. We have already made plans to hang out after I get home. She´s great!

The town I´m in is Matosinhos. It is right next to the ocean and just a smidgen north of Porto. It is and has been a fishing town for a long long time, but is a fairly modern city compared to Porto. The downtown is only about 10 blocks by 3 and this is our principle area to work. At the moment we don´t have tons of investigators, but we have some great contacts that have a lot of potential. Our little ward has a goal to separate in December, so we are working on strengthening the ward in addition to adding new members. The cities of Senhora da Hora and Matosinhos split this ward, and most of the leadership lives in Senhora da Hora, so it is our job to help reactivate and bring souls to Christ in our area that can help to strengthen the ward when it splits.

Fun things that happened this week include:
Our water was almost turned off this morning, but through a series of little miracles and tender mercies, we were able to get it all worked out and we still get to take showers. Yipee! ( you should see me after our half hour of exercise in the morning...we run for most of it and I am dripping afterward) Anyhow, I am getting quite the calves with our runs and 12 hours on my feet on cobblestones. Truly a sight to see underneath my skirt and nylons!

Monday was zone conference which kind of boosts your spirits everytime. We set some great goals and received strength from one another. Anyone who says you don´t need a church to worship the Lord is missing out. Daily life is a battle and gets tiring, it is so nice to get reinforcements as often as possible. Scripture study and prayers are great, but sometimes it is just wonderful to have someone share new insight. Anyhow, it was a great meeting.

Also, I got 15 letters which was very nice (4 from Samuel, what a great brother I´ve got!) Thanks so very much. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers through other people and He knew that it would be a little hard to go back to a clean slate and so sent some reinforcements. Thank you thank you thank you!! It really meant a lot. Oh, Samuel, Janie says hello and the Halgrens really liked your letter and are sending one in return. Bejinhos to all! Tchau!

ellen

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