It´s great to be a missionary!

So, we´ve had a great week and I´m learning bastante(a lot). Mom, my blog site is: ellenshome.blogspot.com Give Janie my love! Oh, I received from Sister Couey the announcement for Abbie´s wedding, looked like a lot of fun, especially the honeymoon in Alaska(wink). THANKS for the letters I have received lately! (wink, wink) they gave me just the energy and animo that I needed! It is a great experience to train because its like being able to see all of your caracteristics in a big magifying mirror. The ones that are good make you feel good and the ones that need refining, well, you get to see just how you can refine them. It´s humbling, but very productive and I´ve been learning a lot!

We had a marvelous conference this last week with all the stakes of Portugal and Spain. President Hinckley and Robert D. Hales spoke and it was so great . They really are prophets who receive revelation for us. They know just what will help make these people more happy and more able to live fulfilling lives. It was great to hear them pinpoint just the exact problems that we see daily and give us solutions for them. I´m so grateful for the opportunity to listen to a prophet´s voice. We then had a great zone conference on tuesday and I left a new missionary. On the ride home I participated in a great lesson on the train. I just had a great conversation with the lady sitting next to me, and because of the love that I felt for the Lord and the gratitude I had been feeling, I was able to talk and we both learned things as the Spirit touched both of our hearts. I was on cloud nine. It just feels so great and you are so happy when you are feeling the Spirit. That is what this plan is all about, having the happiness that comes from God in our every day life. Anyway, it was an inspiring conference and I am doing my best to apply the things that I learned. We also are making a grande force to plan well so that we can be where the Lord wants us when He wants us there. It´s good.....I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY! and that´s it for today.

Oh, Samuel...Eu amo bater portas porque é sempre uma supresa, é como abrir um ´suprise package´ no outro lado de cada porta ou há uma pessoa douro ou uma daquelas que te expulsará do prédio. Também as pessoas as vezes são mesmo loucas quando estão na porta. Eu gosto muito, e tento bater pelo menos algumas horas cada semana porque faz me lembrar das necessidades das pessoas. É bem bom! É difícil pensar que tu já estás na missão há um ano não é? Parabéns! Espero bem que estejas a aprender tudo que O Senhor quer que aprendas. Eu amo te e esta oportunidade que temos de servir. O plano de nosso Pai Celestial é perfeito! Obediência realmente traz as bênçãos dos céus incluindo felicidade, tanto pelo missionário quanto pela pessoa que está a receber este novo conhecimento. Estou feliz e espero que também estejas feliz. Amo-te!

ellen

lost transmission

well, I had a nice note written, but the computer ran out of time before I finished and so I lost it all...Too bad! Anyhow, great to see the pictures Deann, and to know that Samuel is safe and to hear mom´s dulcete voice....and I love you all!

ellen

Grandma Thompson

Thanks for the note Mom! I am so grateful for the knowledge that I have and I know without a shadow of a doubt that Grandma is happy. I know where she is and that she is happy. I had a feeling that she was gone...I couldn´t explain it, but it gave and gives me a lot of peace. I am just so grateful that our family is sealed, that as long as we are faithful to our covenants, we have the right and the assurance of a life together in the kingdom of God. I can´t describe the utter peace and joy that I have. I was reading in 2 Nefi 2 this morning and was just struck with the wisdom of our first parents, even without really understanding every single detail. They allowed us to have joy...real and indescribable and eternal. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to choose to be happy every day of my life. I especially liked verses 23, 27-28. That we have joy because of their choice (through the grace of our Savior and Redeemer) also, that we are free and can choose freedom and eternal life and joy if we want to. If we choose, we can also suffer captivity, death, and misery. It is a lot like the kingmen vs the freemen in Alma. They who wanted a king were willing to give up their choices, their freedom...we cannot serve two masters. The Master´s choice gives us freedom, the other side doesn´t have any freedom to offer. I love the opportunity that I have to make choices, to be the ruler of my own destiny...if I so choose. Anyway...I don´t know how well I´m expressing myself...it makes more sense in Portuguese. Love you all, and give my love to all my aunts and uncle. God lives and loves us! His plan is perfect!

If you need to call earlier or later depending on Samuel´s schedule that would be fine. We also got the information that we could receive calls from you on Saturday if that would work better for you. On Sunday we get home from church at about 12h30 (I think it´s 05h30 your time)...anytime after that would work. We can talk for 1 hour. My companion also does not know when her parents will call...so it might be exciting. They are on a trip and hopefully will get the message... If you would like to call them and organize better the time...801.301.7780. Oh, and maybe you´d like the number...011.351.918.101.418. until Saturday or Sunday! Love you!

ellen
E Samuel...espero que tudo esteja a correr bem contigo. Eu estou a desfrutar a experiência humilhante de treinar. Eu estou a aprender tanto. Provavelmente eu esteja a apprender mais ainda que ela. Aliás ser uma prova da minha fé sei que estou a aprender porque posso sentir as mudanças em mim que são tantas. Tudo de bom! Amo-te irmãozinho!

One year....I don´t know where the time went

So, I´ve been here about 10 months in Portugal and it really is a beautiful country. I absolutely love it here! I have been a trainer for about one week and I also like it. It´s a really humbling experience, but it is good. It does get a little frustrating for her because of the language. I have a really hard time speaking English, so I just explain things a million times in Portuguese and then if she still doesn´t understand I will try to express it in English. She is getting a lot better already and her teaching is already wonderful. She will really be a great missionary.

Mom, thanks so much for the nylons and Kool-aid! I received them yesterday and am already enjoying the American goodness of it all. Fatima will absolutely love the Kool-aid...I´m excited to see her reaction. Thanks for all your example, love and prayers! So...glad to hear that everyone´s doing so well. Especialmente o meu missionário preferido! Obrigada pelas palavras de conselho! Será muito bom para mim. Também será difícil ser cada vez mais paciente e ajudá-la a crescer como O Senhor quer que ela cresça. As tuas orações são precisas e bem vindas. É sempre uma maravilha para mim a maneira que as pessoas realmente mudam por causa dos ensinamentos que estamos a transmitir. O evangelho e o Livro de Mórmon têm poder real. Eu recentamente lí um artigo no liahona de Novembro 2005 (da conferência geral) e na página 10. Realmente o evangelho tem as respostas para todos os problemas que há no mundo atual. Continuação dum bom trabalho lá no Brasil. Amo-te irm.. (não sei como diria 'bro' em português)

Love you all and about the phone call...if you called at 1:00 your time it would probably work just great. I´ll try and see if we can´t spend some time in a member´s home with a land line...if not, it will have to be by cell phone again. I´ll give you all the numbers you need next week. Love you!!!

ellen

Eeeekkkk!!! I just wanted to use that word.

Oi Família,
I am in the mode to be very diligent. I am seeing how much I really need to step it up a little bit more. Be diligent will help your stress and your time. I really can´t say anything else than that other than it is just really important.
It is really starting to get a little bit cooler. In the mornings you can see your breath but it is only 60 degrees. It is really nice. There is not much to report other than everyday we are teaching lessons, making contacts, helping people come unto Christ helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Chirst and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. It is short and sweet but has a full lot of meaning expecially as missionaries.
Perfeito minha irmãzinha, realmente é um grande privilégio treinar. Eu estou muito feliz para você. Algumas coisas que eram importantes para mim: nós precisavamos falar frequentemente e avaliar nosso ensino, contatos, e lingua. Você não pode fazer tudo por ela, mas vocês precisam trabalhar juntos. É através da pratica que nós vamos aprender. Também, é preciso falar na lingua a maioria do tempo. Uma coisa que eu acho que é mais importante é que você precisa ser um bom exemplo. Meu companheiro fez o que eu fiz. Se você fizer algo bom, ela vai fazer. Também, se você fizer algo errado, ela vai fazer isso errado. Treinando é uma experiência muita boa. Eu sei que você vai gostar. Eu estou orando para você.
We are thinking of having you guys call on Mother´s Day at 3 o´clock. I will give you the telephone number next week. does that work? I am very excited about the things that I am learning and doing here. It is such a wonderful time in my life. I love you all.

Elder Thompson