To the folks back home...

So...yep, President Greene found out that we were having too much fun and called us on Tuesday to put an end to all the fun and games. It really didn´t happen that way, but we did have a phone call from President on Tuesday, and Sister Christensen is at this moment headed toward the beautiful university city of Coimbra (which is south and inland from here). I am now sitting here next to Sister Amber Simons from North Carolina. We´re going to have fun too I think. It´s always interesting to have changes. There is always something to learn from each one.

Other things that will happen this week...We´re really excited about General Conference. It is always a little wierd because the timing is so different--due logically to the difference in time zones. Anyway, it is such a great opportunity to hear the Lord´s mouthpiece tell us what we need to know to have happiness now and forever for our families.

On Tuesday we´ll have a baptism. Cândida is so excited, and will be a great addition to the ward family. She already has such a great testimony.

That´s about all, other than some great teaching moments that we surely will have this week. We really have a great area, it is so beautiful and also there are a lot of great people who need our help...Here we come to the rescue.

Yeah, not exceedingly inspired today...sorry. I´m sure next week I´ll have a book to write. Oh, and Mom, you would be so very proud of me. I ate all sorts of sea creatures with eyes this week. The clam and shrimp wasn´t too bad, and the oyster kind of slid down the gullet...I took a picture so I´ll send it to you hopefully next week. It was good because of the rice and soup in which it was prepared. I felt very like the walrus and the carpenter whose great friends the oysters didn´t answer because "they´d eaten every one." Yep, so that´s my great literary genius for today...stolen as it were.

Love you...Happy birthday to everyone...

ellen

Food, wet rain, and stuff...

Well, some days it is a real hassle to do e-mail. The little shop where we usually do our correspondance is closed because they are moving to a new local, which here in a week will be closer to our house, but in the meantime is just a little annoying. Anyhow, this wouldn´t be too bad, but it happens to be raining sideways today and the wind is really strong. There are remains of umbrellas strewn all over the sidewalkes. It really looks like a cheap horror film (like ´something wicked this way comes´) and the umbrellas like dead insects. It´s kind of funny, but at the same time very wet and cold.

Sister Christensen and I are getting along royally! We think that President Greene made a mistake and here in a little bit he will realize his mistake and change compainions because we´re having too much fun! We keep trying to convince ourselves that this is missionary WORK, but there are moments when we, collapsing in giggles, don´t really believe such things. We are really working hard however. For example, yesterday we worked for 10.5 hours out in the rain and taught a whole lot of lessons that were really edifying. Carmen, one of the people we are teaching, is doing so wonderfully. She has a difficult work situation and is constantly being bombarded with negative influences, but she takes the Book of Mormon with her every day to work. She reads it on the bus, and during the moments more difficult during the work day she slips a glance and drinks deep from the pages. She also takes notes on what she has learned so that she can use it during the day. We marked her yesterday for baptism on the 23rd of April. Our big task for this week will be to help her stop smoking. We have great hopes of "curing" her of this vice because of her faith. Just like Zeezrom in Alma 15 (or so). Her faith will be what helps her overcome. Like Samuel said, we can´t do this on our own, we constantly need the Lord´s help. This is why we have the Atonement, to help up overcome daily challenges.

As for eating, Mom. I have eaten a lot of things that you would be really proud of me for. Yesterday we had Francizinhas (a bife, ham, and sausage, and an egg sandwiched in two pieces of bread, and dripping with a special sauce the color of oranges) The member, at whose house we were eating took a picture so I can show you that I really ate it. I have also eating a lot of fish, being here near the ocean (which I love) we get a lot of people who like to feed us fish (which I love less, but I do not utterly hate) I have also eaten a couple of things that are not on the approved list for sure. At the house of one little old lady from Angola I had ox heart and lungs. I recognized the valves and it didn´t just slide down really easy, it almost came back, however, not wanting to be rude, I smiled and smacked my lips. My companion was laughing the whole time, but that is what compainions are for.

The rest of the time when I´m not eating at the bequest of others. I satisfy myself with the absolutely heavenly bread that is found in abundance, and yogurt and fruit, sometimes mixed in with cereal and my compainion´s latest experiment. Usually this is done very quickly because I would rather spend the meal time learning something or preparing a lesson, or working on the language. It is my goal to leave here a native...we´ll see how that goes. Anyway, that´s what I eat.

So, love you all, oh! and I sent the letter back to Dad the day I got it, I think it was Friday, so he should be getting it soon.
Love You!! Happy Birthday to all of those having birthdays!! (Grandma at 96, ect...)
ellen

Transfers and a new companion

So, we had transfers today and I received as my new companion Sister Christensen from Clinton, Utah. She´s taller than me and might even have a bigger shoe size...quite an accomplishment for sure. Sister Call went to Braga to serve in a tripla. I´m gonna miss her. After serving together for so much time we start feeling like a part is gone when we have to part.

I have a favor to ask all of my praying fans...whenever you remember little ole´me in your prayers, could you also remember Sister Call, and keep on remembering until the end of the time we get to serve (until the end of November). I would really appreciate it, and so would she. Thanks a bunch!!

Well, other great things... we will also be celebrating the relief society birthday with a party tomorrow night. I get to sing a couple of things with some of the members of the ward here. I also will be singing O Divine Redeemer in English. I translated it into Portuguese but they like the english better, so I do what I´m told, most of the time anyway. So, think of me..that song gets really quite high at the end. Fun, fun, fun.

We taught a really awesome family this week. We just talked to them in the door on wednesday and gave them a book of Mórmon. They saide we could return the next day, so we returned the next day and they had read and we taught an awesome lesson. We asked when we could return and they said they were sorry, but they really wouldn´t have time until Saturday. So much different than the, "come back in a year, or maybe a month, or even more rare--come back next week" We felt really lucky and I think we´ll have some really great lessons with them!

I´m so glad to hear that I have such a good family. You are all awesome! Nephi, did you get my package yet?? Samuel, vou mandar pelo menos antes do fim do Março, e provávelmente esta semana. Amo-te também!! Happy, happy birthday to Madison and Mekenzie, make sure and give them my love. They are sure cute!!

Yep, that´s about it. Love you all, love what I´m doing, and love the Lord. This is His work and His Church and I´m so greatful to be a tiny part of it!

ellen

Preparing for the time

Oi Família,
How is the world turning? I was excited to hear about the snow in Colorado. Snow is one thing that I will never see in Brazil. How do you guys like the new tv-its a little nicer than the other that´s been there for around 30 years-I will always remember that tv and as Dad says--its worked all this time. I will tell you when I get the papers.

I had an outstanding zone conference yesterday. It was full of the spirit and my faith and testimony were strengthened. I was somewhat disanimated because my new area is difficult but I know that there are people here that are ready to hear about the gospel and be baptized. I need to have faith and make goals. I want to baptize every week and then I will make plans to accomplish it. If I do my part, the Lord will do his part. That will always be true. The mission is so great. I do have one regret--I didn´t really ask Aaron or Nephi about their missions and how I could better prepare for my own. I guess I had better ask now. What is one thing that right now looking back on your mission helped you the most in your life after the mission?

Preparation is key to anything that we do. It takes more time to prepare than to actually do and before you can do anything you have to prepare.

I love that this gospel is true and I know that Jesus is the Christ, that he loves us and wants us to be happy. Life isn´t easy and never will be but that inner peace that we desire comes only from Christ and his atonement. That is where we can endure the storms in life. If we put our faith in him just as presidente Hinckley says in the Ensign February 2006 God will never forsake us. I love you all and pray for you all.

Ellen, pode mandar os dois--ingles e portuguese--eu vou pagar você por tudo depois da missâo. Eu te amo e oro para você.
Love,
Elder Thompson

New Mission President

Well, I have a couple more minutes now because I do, and more news for you all, know you´ll enjoy it!
We will have a new president of the mission in July. It will be really hard to say goodbye to President and Sister Greene as they are nearly the best people that I have ever known and loved, however, I know that I will love and support completely these new folks...here is the down and dirty. The good news is that they´re home grown Colorado folk. And Sister (Decker) Henry is from Delta Colorado, right down our neck of the woods. Here is the low down first from President Greene, and then the Church News brief. Love you all! ellen

Dear Elders and Sisters,
I wanted to send to each of you the picture and brief biography of President James Henry and Sister Lynda Henry, who have been called to preside over the Portugal Porto Mission beginning this summer. I have talked to President Henry on the telephone, and indeed he is a wonderful man. They are very excited for their calling. I hope to be able to share more information regarding President and Sister Henry in upcoming zone conferences.

May the Lord continue to bless you my friends. Please stay focused on the work which we have been called to do in this land. As I send this e-mail out I cannot help but reflect upon the genuine friendship and love that we feel with each one of you and the many wonderful miracles that we have witnessed together as we have strived to bring these dear people unto our Lord Jesus Christ. I feel that you are all doing so very well, and I know that the Lord is pleased with our efforts. We are grateful that we still have four wonderful months to serve together, and we commit to you that we will stay faithful, diligent, and obedient until the very last moment of our mission. Sister Greene and I send our love to each one of you, and four abraços to each dupla.

President Greene

And the info:
James Franklin Henry, 60, Broomfield 1st Ward, Boulder Colorado Stake; former stake president, counselor in a stake presidency, high councilor, stake Young Men president, bishop, counselor in a bishopric and missionary in the Brazilian Mission. Senior vice president, Hayward Baker Inc. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Alvin Eugene and Esther Fry Brimley Henry. Married Lynda Diane Decker, six children.
A counselor in the ward Relief Society presidency, she is a former president and counselor in a ward Young Women presidency, ward Primary president, teacher in Relief Society and Primary, and gospel doctrine teacher. Born in Delta, Colo., to Glenn Eldon and Mary Ione Sheilds Decker.

Hellohellohello

So, It´s fun and games like always for me here in Portugal. I am really loving the area and the things I´m doing and teaching. Thanks Martha so much for that little tidbit on everyone, it made my day for sure. i don´t have very much time at all today and so I´ll make this brief brief. Yes Samuel, I will get you preach my gospel in mini. Do you want it in english or portuguese?? And the minutes are ticking down.... So I´m doing well and loving the work and the Lord. We also had a great sisteres conference yesterday and learned how very important we are as women. It was great. lOVE YOU ALL!!

ellen

fun and games

Yep, still here and still loving it all. We did celebrate Carnaval in style. Síster Call and I switched name tags, and what makes it really funny, not very many people noticed. Hopefully that means that they know our names already and didn´t have to look.
Anyhow, the work is going well and we are teaching every day new people which makes it enjoyable as well. We are working with the women of two different wards here in Gaia which at times gets a little complicated, but is working out well. One thing I have decided...in honor of all my crazy friends and to fulfill my role as `princess in training´, I am going to try to organize a "Luncheon Clube" for the young mothers in Gaia. People really get shut up in their houses here, even worse than in the states I think. We have visited some people that just needed to see our bright shining faces and already their day was made even before we sang or shared our message. Visiting teaching helps immensely in this respect, but these darling ladies need the craziness of a club...or at least that´s what I have decided and we´ll see how it goes.

Other than that...not very much to tell. We´re enjoying each other´s company and the beautiful people here. Glad you got the transfer that you were waiting for Samuel, love you all!!
ellen

Happy Birthday to all of my favorites this week...you know who you are!