great week

So, I´m sure you were all on the edge of your chairs waiting to hear about my fun adventure in the rain last week. It was an adventure for sure. We went by bus to the middle of nowhere and then walked for another half an hour to this beautiful waterfall, the only problem was that it was really raining hard. We, since we were already soaked, had a bit of fun taking cool pictures which I´ll get developed some time and send to you all. The real adventure was that we hadn´t checked when there would be a bus returning to where we had come from and so after waiting an hour decided to find out. Another bus wouldn´t be passing for another couple of hours and the 6 tired, wet missionaries needed to get back so they could work again. We then called a friend and he made the long trek and picked us up in his van. One problem is that he doesn´t like to obey any traffic laws and I´m sure our legion of angels earned their wings in our protection. It was a fun little adventure.

Sunday was great! We had our investigators again in church and Joaquina, Rui and Miguel are really getting excited for their baptism next week. Joaquina officially graduated from the stopping smoking program with a gold star and the statistics say that she will never smoke again. Maria Manuel came to church and she is marked for baptism on the 19th. We´re pretty excited. We also have a couple new investigators that reacted just like the textbooks. Elsa felt the Spirit during the opening hymn, prayer, and first vision. It was really neat. Also, we taught the 1st lesson to Margarida and Rúfino and she taught the apostacy better than I could. The section in Preach My Gospel about the Light of Christ and the way that people recongnize truths is really true. This is the church of Christ here on the earth!

Oh, I also got to use my nursing skills on Monday. We had a zone conference and I gave everyone their flu shots, including myself. It was kind of fun. I think I´ll have a picture of that too, we´ll have to see how it turns out. Interviews with President Greene are always awesome as well. All in all a good week. Love you all!

ellen

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quickie

So, this one will have to be quick. We are going on an adventure to see some really pretty fall and the bus leaves at 11:00 (it´s 10:30 now) so this will be short and sweet.

Thanks Mom for being so spectacular! I did send Dad a birthday letter, but it will arrive late, so let him know in the interim that I love him. Also, happy birthday to Marah--she´s already two, crazy. Mom, it is true, you can buy nylons here, but if you want to wear them more than twice, it´s nice to have nice ones from the states that don´t run on the first day. They are easily enveloped if it is easier to send them in those global envelopes.

This week we had investigators in church!!!! Joaquina, Miguel and Rui were at church and they loved it. Also another investigator Maria Manuel got up and drove to church, but she couldn´t find it and so she turned around and went back home, we´ll help her find it this week. Other great things...the fleas are dead, or we haven´t had any bites to indicate otherwise. Our mission conference was really awesome. I´ve decided that they get better every time, and it isn´t them that changes, it is me. We are helping both Joaquina and Maria Manuel to stop smoking and they are doing wonderfully. We had an awesome family home evening last night with Joaquina, Miguel, and Rui in the home of a stalwart member Catarina and then we had Carla and her daughters Sophia and Catia who were given a ride by Vasco. It was a party and they all really liked it. It is fun to teach fun lessons. We are really working hard to have at least 1/3 if not 1/2 of our lessons every week with members. That means that we have fewer lessons, but they are more powerful. It is so important to have them meet real people who are living in the same community, even if they are not the best teachers. The testimony that comes from a real person living and loving the gospel with the hardships that everyone faces and the trials of daily life is so powerful. I love bringing this happiness to the people of the world. That is what the gospel is all about, it is the plan of happiness here and eternal joy to come with all of our families. Oh, and we had district meeting in the bat cave. It really looks like a bat cave and it is even accompanied by this rustic bridge...pretty cool, I´ll send pictures when I get them back. We also found a wonderful restaurant that serves real Portugues food and that is always full. If any of you come to Portugal it´s a must eat type of place. So, time´s up. Love you all, the gospel is true and the Lord does miracles every day. Keep up the good work! Love you all (especially any missionaries named Elder Thompson in Brasil)

ellen

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small miracles

We have had a great week here with many small miracles. I have been having great studies and am always a little disappointed when I have to stop reading the Book of Mormon. I love the simplicity of that wonderful book of scripture. It reminds me of otello "a minute to learn, a lifetime to master" I know that the prophets were speaking to us now. So, for the miracles. On Monday someone called us asking for a book of mormon...that never happens. Someone with whom we had left a pass along card actually was interested and requested her free copy with we ran over as soon as possible. She had two days off and planned on spending them reading--what a great idea. Anyway, then we have been having some really great lessons and as I struggle to keep myself humble I am able to teach with the Spirit, and He speaks perfect portuguese, or at least well enough that no one is focusing on the language, but on the message. It is amazing what the Lord can do with us if we let him. I have been reading in Alma 40-42 which explains yet again the plan of salvation and really it is all about our desires, I am trying to modify my desires so I can say that like the people of King Benjamin in Mosiah 5 that I have no desires to do evil but to do good continually.

Thanks for the pictures Deann! They are really beautiful girls and they´re growing up so fast. Nephi, thanks for posting those pictures and my very witty remarks about them. (or not so witty) I have an awesome family for sure. Mom, my favorite scriptures for the first lesson are James 1:5, Jacob 4:4, JSH 16-17, Mosiah 4:9, and Moses 1:39, 2Cor 1:13, Amos 3:7, and 2 Thes 2:3. They are all pretty short and yet powerful.

Oh, our challenge for this week was fleas. I have a sad flea-bitten companion. The other day the count was about 50, but I´m sure it has exceeded that. We enter just about every house that will let us in and talk to every one, so it is not too surprising that we come in contact with little bugs that plague the human race. Fortunately for me, I must not be very sweet, but I only got one or two bites. Maybe my blood is like the goo in bike tires that just fills in the holes and they go away quickly. Anyway, for whatever reason, here, like in Matosinhos when Sister Landro was afflicted by mosquito bites, I have not been affected to horribly by Sister Schneiber´s fleas, although I surely have been doing my best to help her combat them. It´s fun.~

Oh, I almost forgot about our crazy day this week. There has to be at least one day of crazies every transfer. We taught this one yound man named Miguel Angelo and marked him for baptism. That doesn´t sound overly strange, the thing that was crazy is that his mom was present. Still doesn´t sound too out of the ordinary??? Well, she happened to be absolutely dripping... when she gave us bejinhos (kisses on both cheeks) she gave us raspberries unintentionally(the sound that you make when you blow on a baby´s belly). I smelled like table wine for the rest of the night. Every once in a while I would get a whiff of myself and feel a little tipsy. Oh, but it never stops with just one incident. Next, we went to an appointment we had made with a contact, but she couldn´t entertain us in her house because of her husband and so we taught her in a cafe nearby. The only problem is that the cafe was filled to the brim, but this isn´t all...there was a soccer game playing, and in Portugal soccer isn´t just a game, it is a religion. For a person not to support a team is like being unfaithful to the country. Many people have died over the results of games (and during them). We did however manage to teach a pretty good lesson and have made a return appointment for a different local. To add to this excitement (and fear for our safety during the drunken cheering for the game) Sister Schneiber found a flea in her hair, which is very thick and very curly. We then made an emergency trip to the pharmacy and bought lice shampoo which hopefully kills fleas too.

So, exciting week--and our fight with the fleas marches on, or jumps on. The number of bites per night has decreased, but there are still new ones that arise with the morning light. Hopefully we´ll conquer before the week is up.

The week to come: tomorrow we´ll have mission conference with Elder Baxter of the Area Presidency. Random fun fact: our new Area President is none other than the writer of the Work and the Glory books, Gerald Lund. Just thought you all might enjoy knowing that. Thanks so much for your love and prayers (for me and my flea-bitten best friend) I know we are involved in the work of God. That this is the final gathering, the Lord is hastening His work and I´m so thankful to be part of it. This is the Lord´s church and Kingdom on the earth. Love you all!
ellen

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Pictures from Portugal

My trainer Sister Landro and I in front of the chapel in Matosinhos. One of the only signs in Portugal that says: Visitors Welcome


The rooftops of Porto -- pretty aren't they?


Some pretty gardens in Porto (at the end of the season so the flowers aren't at their best)


Bridge linking Porto and Gaia across the Douro River (River of Gold) -- look closely to see the helicopter


Looking across the river to Gaia


A cool Catholic church in Porto complete with "dead men's bones" in the basement


Knocking every door -- even the doors of "saints" who have already gone on -- And behind door #7, bones.


Outside of the police station in Matosinhos where I was arrested twice. Very inauspicious, não é?


In Matosinhos are a lot of fishermen. This statue is right outside of the chapel and I fear I may have found my fisherman. Ahhhh.

Conferência geral!!!

So, got to love that we have prophets here on earth and that we have the blessed opportunity to hear from them every six months. We got to attend most of the sessions which was truly magnificent. I really loved the spirit that I felt there, and the knowledge that I have. I am so thankful for the Book of Mormon and for living prophets.

Other exciting news... we have marked two investigators for baptism on the 29th of this month. Joaquina e Rui are excellent, and they really have a thirst to read and know and do the things of the Lord. Joaquina is in her 30´s and Rui is her 12 year-old son. They are really excellent. We had an amazing visit with them on Tuesday with a couple of members. Working with the members is the way to go. We just have to teach a little bit and control the conversation and the members bear testimony and help to teach them in perfect portuguese. The Spirit is able to bear testimony of truth in a manner more complete than is attainable with just two little missionaries.

I thought of Aaron yesterday as someone in one of the apartment buildings we were in was practicing Yesterday on the violin. It made me smile.

Congratulations on the nearing completion of the house! It is exciting to be nearing the end of such a big project. I have no doubts that you will not let any time go by before plunging headlong into another of even grander proportions, but that is the way life goes.

We have been teaching a lot this week and we really have some good investigators. The thing that is most noteable about them is their hunger for the scriptures. They just can´t get enough and during our lessons--they want to read the whole time and more verses even than we are teaching from. It is great to watch the light in their eyes as the eternal truths make connection with their immortal spirits and they remember. Our work is like that of a doctor helping someone with amnesia in place of teaching, we are reminding.

The Book of Mormon is the word of God. From the time of my mission call until the end of this month I will have read that marvelous book of scripture four times. 3 in english and once in portuguese. Every time I read it I feel better. When I don´t think I can do any more I can open it up and read even a few verses and the spirit and energy that come from that exercise give me the strength that I need to keep going. I have a little english pocket sized version that I keep in my bag all of the time and I think I´ll have to do it for the rest of my life. It is fun to have 5 extra seconds and fill it with words of love and counsel from my Heavenly Father to me.

Speaking of letters, I´m having "mail depression" because all of the letters and things from Matosinhos have not made it to me yet, and I haven´t been to Porto in a while so I haven´t gotten the ones from the office either, but we are having a conference next week, so hopefully I be swamped in letters, or at least have one or two. It does make a difference. Por esta razão meu querido irmão eu mandei quatro cartas esta semana em só um envelope com muito amor. Obrigada pelas muitas cartas que já mandaste para mim e não te preocupes sobre so mandando uma carta cada mes. É suficiente. Es um élder espectacular! Eu sou tão grata que tenho um exemplo tão forte.

Well, that´s about it. Love you all! If you want to know anything specific drop me a line and I´ll do my best to respond. Give all of those cute munchkins my love and kisses!

ellen

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