this week

Hello my beautiful Family!
So another great week and so much to do! We are really very excited for the general conference this weekend and the blessing of hearing the prophet's guidance for us in our day. I get to also attend the Women's Conference on Saturday being as everything is a bit delayed. It is such a wonderful blessing to be a servant of the Lord, when we do His will, and use our time as He would have us do, we have miraculous days. Our big push this week is to plan more effectively so that we can use the time to the best efficiency. By ourselves we really don't account for much and can't really accomplish very much, but when we let Him into the picture, the results are nothing short of amazing. I'm so grateful for the blessings that I have and for my amazing family. Sure do love all of you. Thanks Aaron for your sage advice. I completely agree. take care!

ellen

Fw: When the Sun Goes Behind the Clouds

Oí Família,
Today I was reading a quote book. I really like quotes and I read some inspiring words. I will be making some new goals and plans today of how I can be a better missionary and be focused in the work. This past week was good. We are working hard and finding many new people to teach. We pray that they will be baptized and that the work in this area will begin to be strong. In the past, this area has had some missionaries who did not work hard and put forth a lot of effort. Now I think it is the other way around. We are working very hard but the branch is struggling. I am not sure exactly how to help them. I think that prayer and mediation are needed in this regard. Recently I read something by President David O. Mckay. He said that we should try to solve our problems with prayer, scripture study, fasting before we go to another source. Our first source of help should be our Heavenly Father and then other sources. Everything really comes down to prayer and scripture study. If you don´t do those two things everyday, you will not be strong in the storms of life and you will be very weak spiritually. I think the following. It is not a question that you will or will not fall, but when you will fall. We have to be prepared for the storms of life. In April, I think that Elder Henry B. Eyring talked about this. He said that we have to start early and be steady. That is the ticket-be obedient and be diligent.
I appreciate the prayers of all of you. Aaron, thanks for the wonderful words of encouragement. I love you all and am very excited for the end of this month when we will be able to hear the words of our Beloved Prophet.
Love,
Elder Thompson

It's raining, it's pouring!

Torrential rains. Well, we are feeling the effects of what once was hurricane Gordon that moved between the Açores and now is a tropical storm that is losing all of its moisture over the north of Portugal. Luckily today is p-day and we get to stay in our apartment during the afternoon and write letters with a good pot of hot soup. (Well, it would be a wonderful pot if there was a way of reproducing Mom's magical tomato soup)

Oi Missionário meu! Eu estava a ler uma boa citação de Presidente Hinckley e ele disse: Estás feliz? Diga a tua cara! Eu gostei emenso e escrevi no planeamento para fazer-me lembrar sempre de sorrir. Ainda quando eu não me sinto como sorrir, eu lembro-me que todas as pessoas estão a me ver e estão a pensar sobre mim como representante de Jesus Cristo e então faço um esforço maior pensar em coisas mais positivas e ajuda-me sorrir. Também as vezes eu sorro só porque eu não estava e agora e tipo um jogo para mim. Faz muito bem e faz-me mais feliz. Já recebeste a minha cara que mandei para lá? Tem algumas boas ideas em trabalhar com o ramo.

Well, yep, not much to report. The work is going well and we are going to have a fun activity this Friday to help our investigators feel comfortable with the members and it is also a great opportunity to bring friends. Anyhow, we're really excited and it should be great. We have been having some great experiences with our teaching and things are really going well. It is hard to believe that fall is already here. the kids are already back in school, the hot days are over, the rain has arrived, and September is almost gone. Our lives passed as it were a dream....(a good one in this case) Yep, and that's it besides saying that I love you all so much and hope all is going well.

ellen

Fw: The Blue Skys

Oí Família,
I am writing today because we had interviews w/ President Wilkins yesterday and we moved our p-day to today, just for this week.
This week was a good week. We are working hard and doing all we can to find the elects of the Lord. I am very grateful to my companion for the example he is to me. Everyone says that he is always smiling and that he is always happy. I really don´t understand why I am not happy all of the time or that I don´t smile. I know that it is something that I need to do and should do. The gospel brings peace and happiness but yet I don´t understand or I am not feeling that joy. I guess it is my attitude but I don´t know how or what I can do to change my attitude. I want to do what is right and I try so hard everyday but yet it seems that a lot of the work that I do is for not. I am trying to use the little time that I have to do all that I can to serve the Lord.
We have a great area, we are having great temperatures, there was a lot of potential here and I am excited to be a part of it. I love you all and am grateful to be a part of this family.

Love,
Elder Thompson

Thompsons in Georgia update

Family and friends,

I am sending out my once in a while update. Life is setting down a bit.
We are in to some what of a routine. My only thing is now I am extremely
exhausted most of the day. You know how that happens those last couple
months of pregnancy. Your brain is telling you all the things you should
be able to accomplish but your body is just not on the same page. It is
funny. I am getting more and more excited for the baby to come and can't
wait to have my body back also. I am enjoying teaching the Young Women.
They are just so loving and fun. The Lord knew I needed this calling. I
love teaching the lessons except for the problem that as soon as I get
started my face is red and sweating and I am short of breath(this of
course is due to being pregnant). I come home after church very wet from
sweat. My sweat glads are very active.

Naomi is getting better at reading and enjoys every chance she gets to
read to somebody. She is also looking forward to loosing her second tooth
and her molars are coming in. She is just growing so fast and is such a
sweet girl.

Rachel has such an imagination and it is hard to get her to do anything
right away because she is so easily distracted by things and then she
just gets playing. It makes me laugh how much she reminds me of my sister
Heidi. They are a lot alike in personality. I enjoy having her home
during the days it has given us an opportunity to bond and get to know
one another.

Ethan is growing and gaining weight finally. We went for our second
doctor appoint with the Gastroeneologist and he was amazed at how much
weight he has gained(He is finally on the growth charts in his weight)
and that he did it with out the appetite stimulant(Yepee! We contribute
most of his success to the fasting and blessing he received). He is still
growing the same on his height so he is still below the growth curve but
the Hormone specialist said not to worry he will probably make up for
this when he hits puberty. We are finally done seeing the specialist and
know that Ethan just needs a lot of extra fats and calories right now.
What a blessing to finally have a resolution.

Aaron is working and looking at the yard and getting very antz to get it
done. The hard thing is getting it done correctly. He still does not have
a calling but have heard that one is in the works.

We have been camping and picnicking and it has been fun, relaxing and
enjoyable. I love the cool temperature of the fall.We love you all and
hope this wasn't to long.

Love,
Bethany

Giggles and girlies

It's been a great week. Sister Karren and I are having way too much fun I think. We are really alike and get along great which means sometimes we collapse in giggles in any and every place. We do really work hard also, which gives us the good disposition to be able to joke. So I've really been learning more than ever how to feel and respond to the Spirit and really how to surrender my whole heart and soul to the Lord's work. As I do that I have been having wonderful studies!!! The Spirit really just comes and sits on my heart. It is such a marvelous feeling. Everytime I think that I am absolutely happy, I do the Lords will and that absolute joy increases. I am learning so much! It's such a blessing to be a trainer (during my interview with President yesterday he told me that I probably won't be training for the whole three months, that maybe I just will have the next 4 weeks with her and then one or the other will be tranferred--other lessons to learn other people to love)

Oh, another cool thing this week I learned how to eat with chopsticks and ate an entire meal with them (very well says my companion) It was fun. All sorts of chinese things you wouldn't think I would be learning here in Portugal. I also can sing two songs in chinese. they're pretty.

Thanks for your letter and good news Bethany!! I'm glad to hear Ethan is doing well and that the girlies are such good eggs. I sent a letter last week that should reach you this week.

As for the care package you want to send... I never really know what to tell you. For sure peanut butter M&M's, a couple pairs of nylons (size B-I'm tall), if you happen to see some Burt's Bees Hand Salve (it's a yellow tin), and a letter from Dad (if he wants to). I've got pretty much everything I need. Oh, and the address is:

Rua Padre António Viera
Nº91- 5º trás
4710 Braga
PORTUGAL

Yep, it's wonderful to be the Lord's servant. He's the best boss for now and for eternity. The payment is awesome and the benefits are out of this world....hem hem hem. Yea...so love you all and keep on keeping on!

ellen

It's all Chinese to me

Well, we've had a good week. Irmã Karren is cool and we get along great together. We are great friends and also like working, so it works really well. One really cool thing about her...she speaks chinese. For that mere fact alone she gained all sorts of respect points. She taught English in China for 14 months and so although she cannot express every little thing she wants to say, she can understand and communicate actually quite well. I wouldn't know, but that's what the two chinese girls in the store said, who are excited about reading the chinese book of mormon we gave them. It is really awesome because there are so many chinese here who run their little stores and now we can talk to them. Most of them understand portuguese very well, but the fact that we can communicate in their own language makes a huge difference in the way they respond to us. Hopefully this weekend or next we will be able to attend their little church meeting. There is a group of Chinese Christians here in Braga and they have church services on Sunday nights. We're really excited. Oh, and I have a chinese name now..ke fang fang ...which means something like happy flower ou assim.

Yep, and there are tons of things going on, it's great to be a servant of the Lord because He always has something going on, never a dull moment in His service, especially when your heart is truly and fully dedicated to Him, which is what we are working on.

As melhores o irmãozinho! Felizemente não passamos mal esta vez no jejum então ainda estamos vivas e tudo. A última vez foi um pouco assustador ao entrar em shock (ou quase). O próximo dia eu estava com febre porque o meu corpo não tinha aqua suficiente para regular a temperatura e estave muito quente fora. Paciência, o que não nos mata, ajuda-nos crescer. Não é? Então, basicamente é tudo.

So, love you all and pray for your continued happiness (which you and I both know is to be found in the gospel of Jesus Christ)

ellen

Fwd: Carry On

Oí Família,
It has been another week for me. It will say that it was great to have a baptism. I am excited that Tania is really going forward and is excited about the her future. She has been great blessed by the Lord.
I got a little sick again this week. It is never fun to get sick. Getting sick in Brasil is very strange. It is not like getting sick at home where you stay home for a day and than after a week you are generally perfectly great again. When you get a cold here, it stays with you-it doesn´t put you out of comission for a day but it torments you for a week. You generally can still work but you just never feel good and then after a month you are completely well. It certainly is a new experience.
We are certainly trying to do the best we can. I will say that sometimes it gets discouraging and you think to yourself what is the point of all this but then you just have to keep going and trust in the Lord that he will bless you and prosper you. I just have to keep going and know that the Lord is happy with what I am doing. I will say that I really have been feeling down this week but I have to keep going and know that the Lord really does love me and will help me. That is our call: carry on always carry on. I am grateful for my family and for the blessings that the Lord has given me. May the Lord bless you all and keep in the right path.

Love,
Elder Thompson

Training again!!! (Eeeeek!)

Congratulations Gina and Nephi on the new expectation! (Although I think I may have forgotten to say happy birthday on your respective days, I assure you that I did have a moment or two on those eventful days where I did remember and say happy birthday...and Happy Birthday still)

Glad the work is going well for you Samuel! A missão está a fugir de nós! Porta-te bem!

So, my new companion fresh from the states is Irmã Sarah Joy Karren (funny that my other trainee was named Sarah as well...) She is from Vernal (the poor little thing is subject to all sorts of Vernal jokes) Her parents names are Mike and Joyce. She is the 3rd of 5. She has a brother who served in Chezch and a sister that served in Switzerland and her little brother just got his call to serve in the Ukraine. She is a great sister and I'm really excited for this new opportunity, although it always is a bit- or much more than a bit- scary. The responsibility is heavy, and eternal (as we were reminded this morning by President Henry). I really like her. I think we'll get along very well.

Oh, and Sister Tanner and I had an amazing last week. We worked our hearts out and it was exhausting, but exhilerating to finish out her mission with her. She fought the good fight, she's a great example for me and she helped me a lot.

Love all of you and pray that you're doing well.

ellen

Princess Elena

So this week we had a great preparation day adventure. We went to Guimarães and toured the Castle and the Palace of the Dukes and a couple of other touristy sites. I thought about my darling princes and princesses. The castle really wouldn't be that fun to live in because it is so dark and really the rooms are quite small. The Palace on the other hand was beautiful! It really looks like all the storybooks. It was crazy to be in a place that was built before America was discovered. They first constructed the Palace in 1420 or something like that. It is also cool because they still use the palace to hold events. The president of Portugal has some special rooms in the top and they have special state meetings in the upper rooms and the grand banquet hall. We really felt like princesses. It was neat.

Other things, I am just having such a good time. We are working like crazy, and the work is progressing. We are working a lot with the Young Women...Oh, which reminds me...If you could send me any ideas of activities that really were great as young womens (service, games, anything) Our young woman really need a lot of support and growing up. they are a bit spoiled in this ward. We are planning on doing a type of highway clean-up with them. They won't know until they are there on the side of the road with a bag....Really, any ideas you could send would be great. (I will then send them to you also Bethany)

Thanks Martha for your ideas on the piano lessons. Oh, Samuel, eu tenho um discurso tão bom para ti! Um amigo meu me mandou então vou mandar para lá também. É sobre como trabalhar mais com os membros e receber referências deles. É muito poderoso mesmo. Mandarei esta semana se eu tiver tempo.

This week has been really great also. We have been working really hard and therefore can have the Spirit with us. The Spirit is a wonderful teacher and the feeling of working is exhilerating. I am just happy, really and truly and thouroughly. I'm finally figuring out a little bit what I'm doing, as we exercise our faith miracles just happen.

Love you all! Kisses to all my fellow princesses! (and handsome princes)

ellen

Time! Stop running away!

Darling Family,
Well, this week really flew by in a hurry, we were just writing e-mail yesterday and all of a sudden it is preparation day again. Just not fair the speed things fly...

Glad to hear you're enjoying the nursery Mom, it's fun to be able to teach on a fresh slate so to speak. It seems like Mom and Dad have really moved into retirement: no job, a great calling, and Dad's got all sorts of toys to play with. All you need now is to finish up all of those projects, houses, ect. so you can go on a mission. Is that still the plan?

Sounds like you'll have a lot of fun Samuel, training a native will be great, even if his Portuguese is even more different than yours, just think of the great accent you'll have (e eu terei que gozar contigo, infelizmente!!) . It's also awesome that you and Elder Costa got along so well, you will have that friendship your whole life I'm sure. Sister Tanner and I are having a lot of fun and doing a lot of work here in Braga. She only has two more weeks and so we are pushing to work our hardest until the end. She's a great missionary!

oh, Martha, I have a question for you...we are teaching a couple of the kids the basics of piano and I was just wondering how Keturah's teacher did the group lessons. If you could give me some ideas it would be great. The first couple of lessons we have to teach them individually where the keys are and everything, but here soon we'd like to start giving them together.

Well, we had a couple days of rain here, it was a nice break. We here in Braga very often feel like chestnuts roasting on an open fire. Braga is surrounded by hills and so all of the heat stays inside, I hear that the winter gets really cold too, so I should enjoy it while I can. Luckily we have a good cold shower. Since we got here our gas water heater has yet to function properly (or function at all) We are really grateful that it's hot so cold showers are a blessing and we have still a little bit of time to get the pilot light fixed before the winter cold hits with a snap. Really I do love this area. This is the city of Padres and there are cathedrals and seminaries all over the place. A few of the bishops and great names there in the Vatican were taught here in Braga, and still have family and friends here. It's like living in a time capsule in some ways. I absolutely love the people here in Portugal, they are the greatest!!

Oh, there is this great woman in the ward here. She is 78 years old and full of spit fire and vinager. She lived in Angola since she was 3 until 50 or something. She is white, but marched with the black guerilla against Portugal. She showed us some of her pistols and trappings. She is in the middle of writing a book about her life. It will be a book worth reading. She really is hillariously funny, and also a bit scary at times. One halloween they had a costume party at the chapel and she went dressed in her guerrilla garb, ALL of it: the razor-sharp machetti and bow knife, and 4 fully loaded pistols along with two full ammunition belts, with the live ammuntion. I think the bishop just about died! Our dear, sweet, lethal Avó Manuela...

Mom, a tip that might save you a bit of time, before trying to reconnect to the internet you should highlight all of the text you have written and then press (ctrl + c) to copy and then after reconnecting you can push(ctrl + v) to paste. Another way to write e-mails without losing everything is to write it in a word document and copy and paste in the same way. It means that you're connected for a lot less time, and you don't lose all of your work. Anyway, it's something to try.

Sure do love all of you. Portem-se bem, especialmente aqueles que estão treinando!! The scriptures are true and full of great inspiring truths. I love this work and the opportities that I have been granted. Love you!

ellen

new beginnings

Oí Família,
This week has been great. Transfers were yesterday and I was made a district leader and a trainer again. I am still in the same area as I was and my companion Elder Costa was transferred but was made a district leader as well. I am very excited for him. He and I became great friends and we tried to help each other. My new companion is Elder Salviano who is from Brasilia, the capital of Brasil. He is outstanding and I believe that what Elder Packer said about the greatest group of missionaries is true. He is much more prepared than I was I think and he has great desire to serve with his all. It will be a great experience, of that I am sure. It is great to be a trainer because you have to start with the basics again. I think that it is very important to every once in a while return to what is simple and basic and you learn so much.
These days, the weather is becoming very hot. It was so great the past several months because it wasn´t very hot but not very cold either. It stayed just right, but now it is really changing. I think it will be a very hot summer.
We are teaching an outstanding person Tania who is overcoming drinking coffee and is making good progress. She was planned to be baptized this week but we plan to have her baptism next week. Sometimes we just need to have patience and have people prepared. Her life is moving and all that thanks to the healing power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He is the master healer.
I love you all and know that the Lord is blessing you.

Love,
Elder Thompson

another note from your favorite missionária

So, good week...good stuff going on. We found an interesting quote by Joseph Smith to one of Samuel's anscestors. He said "relax or you'll die" Ainda bem que não há osso sério no meu corpo. Bem, eu posso estar séria quando estamos a ter uma lição e naquele momento dentro da lição que precisa, mas o resto de lição e o resto de tempo estou a brincar porque é muito mais agradável, sabes...Realmente um dos assuntos da reunião de distrito desta semana foi para ser à vontade, para ser pessoas normais, ser nos mesmos, e desfrutar dessa grande oportunidade que fomos concedidos. As pessoas são muito mais receptivas de alguém que brincae está a gostar do que faz. Sim, precisamos "spiritual giants", mas pensa nos teus professores do evangelho preferidos. Foram aqueles que brincavam até aquele momento para prestar testemunho e depois sabias que o que estavam a dizer era verdade e que fez-lhes feliz a seria. Mas, foi um bom reunião. Eu gosto de brincar...

So, I will be coming home in November Mom, and here soon you'll probably get the paperwork, etc. My release date is Nov 24, Thanksgiving day, at least sometime around then. You will probably know more about when I'll be getting where and what I'll be doing then, but that's how it should be and I don't really want to know about it. It's much more fun to work my heart out here and think about that next step when it comes.

So...the good stuff that's going on here: We are teaching some great people and really enjoying being here together. We both like to joke quite a bit and our witty humor keeps us thinking about things other than all the water that our body possesses dripping down our noses. One thing for sure, I have got some pretty legs! whoooooweee! We also are just constantly amazed by the tender mercies and little miracles that happen daily. For example, the other day we were in Viana do Castelo, a city we don't know hardly at all. We were going to have to walk up a million stairs (really 2 km of stairs) to get to the top of this hill and they are building a lift to get there, but unfortunately it wasn't yet functioning. We saw some signs to direct us to the store accompanying the lift and they were closed, however we encountered the store of a memeber that we had been trying also to find, and it just so happened that she was on her way to portuguese lessons (she's from Norway and also speaks english, but no portuguese) She had to leave anyway and so took us up to the top on her way. it was so cool, because we only had about an hour to get to the top, do what we needed to do and then come back down. If we hadn't "by chance" happened on her store we would not have had the opportunity. just one example of a million little ways that the Lord is able to bless us so that we can accomplish what we need to..(is 1 Nephi 3:7 coming to mind, because it should)

Yep, and stuff....Thanks for all your notes and I'm sure Dad will win his battle of the Wasps. Fires and carbonator fluid sound like a lot of fun! I'm glad to hear about Cedaredge's new nursery leader. That's one of the best callings! I was always really excited to be able to help teach music in nursery when I was in primary. They are just so darn cute. Speaking of children, congratulate John Pyle for me, he'll be a good dad, he's a good apple. So, that's about it. Martha, good luck keeping your eye on your girl, and glad to know that the little spudster thinks he's cool, don't know where he would have picked up that characteristic(wink).

Love you all! The work goes on and miracles never cease!

ellen

Fw: Wasps

Well, I just spend 30 minutes writing an email and it disappeared when I tries to get back on line. So I'll give you the shortened version.
The first paragraph was about wasps. They know that fall is coming and they are building nests everywhere--truck door, scaffolding, sheds, etc. Dad has let them alone until they stung him. Now it is war and he will probably win with the carbinator fluid that he sprays them with or he burns their nest.
Dad is also spraying goatheads. He can't believe that everyday he finds more. But he sure laughs when he sees that they had died. I hope he wins that one!
I was sustained and set apart as Nursery Leader on Sunday. So now it is official. I found out that Sis.Marilyn Bates has been using the old nusery manual that I used 20 years ago and not the Primary I manual. So I will be changing that. I hope I have enought energy to do it like I would like.
John Pyle was sealed to Chelsea Lyons, of Kansas City, on Friday, August 4th in the Denver Temple. They met in their student ward at BYU. She's graduated and will continue to work while he finishes up in Comupter Science.
They had a reception at the Pyle home Saturday--outside and it didn't rain. Next week they have one in KS.
I appreciate the good work of our missionaries! It is wonderful to spread the "good news" to those who are seeking.

Love, mom

Our happy family

Hello guys,

We've had a couple of fun weeks. On Sunday, July 16th
all of Blair's family was over at his parents house
(except Reed & family) to plan our camping trip to the
Uintahs over the 24th of July weekend. All of us
adults were inside planning and the kids were in the
front yard playing. At 8:30 we went out to load up in
the cars, and we couldn't find Marah anywhere. I
guess she had been playing with a little girl in the
neighborhood (a girl who is always wandering) and I
guess the two of them had gone for a little walk, down
the street over to Main Street and some lady had seen
them trying to cross main street and called the
police. We were looking everywhere to try to find
them. Finally it was getting dark and there was no
sign of them anywhere so we called the police and they
had them over at the police station. We we got their
to pick up Marah, she just ran up to us all full of
smiles and it was like nothing had happened. I don't
think she comprehended what happened. Now I make sure
I watch her extra good and don't let her out of my
eyesight, which is pretty hard because she is so quite
and it very good at getting out the house and always
wants to be going somewhere. Denice calls her our
juvenile delinquent.

Well our camping trip was a resounding success -
everyone enjoyed spending time together and it was
good to get out of the 100 plus degree temperatures to
high 80's. The hit of the trip was cliff jumping at
Wall Lake. It was just like swimming in our pond.
The cliff was about 25 feet and it was a lot of fun.
We just put lifejackets on the kids and they jumped
off the side into the water. Keturah got a fish hook
stuck in the top of her 1st 2 toes when she was trying
to skip rocks on Trial Lake and Blair had to push the
barb through her skin so he could cut it off and
Alaina got some big scraps on her stomach and arms
from a bike wreck and we got eatten alive by
mosquitoes - we can to go by the expensive mosquito
spray that was almost 100% deet - but other than that
it was great.

Charles is crazy man now. He likes to make his hands
in fists and tighten up all his muscles, clench his
non-existent teeth and make his face all red. He is
alos very vocal now and has an ear-piercing scream.
He screams and then laughs because he thinks he sounds
cool. He is very much into noise and loves banging on
things - he pulls the pans out the cubboard to bang on
them or the metal chairs at church so everyone turns
around and gives disapproving looks and he loves to
drop things off his highchair to hear them hit the
ground. He does have his 1st tooth - Nicole
discovered it up at camping. It's on the top so we
didn't even know he had it. He can also stand by
himself for a 1/2 a minute to a minute.

Blair is liking his new job. He's doing a lot of
programing to get a web-based server going. It's just
nice not having to do carpet all the time.

We will get our new windows put in our house this next
week so that will be exciting. We got a nice rain
storm on Tuesday that was quite a downpour - nothing
like the flood that went behind Mom & Dad's place but
a blessing no-the-less and it helped to bring the
temperatures down. We've been able to open the
windows at night again and actually be able to go
outside in the middle of the day w/o sweating.

It's exciting to hear about your house Aaron. Wish
Naomi luck w/ school starting on the 14th.

Love Martha

Flood?

We brought muggy California home with us. On Sunday night about 9:00 we heard the rain and lots of noise. When we looked out, we saw water--Lots of water going down the draw behind the house. When I say lots of water I mean 2 foot deep and 100 feet wide. It was a local cloud burst. We were glad that we lived on the top of the hill!

They tell us that it rained everyday that we were gone and it hasn't missed a day since we've been back. Most people can't remember it doing this ever before. The goat heads have sprung up over night looking better than they have ever looked. So that means that we have to get to work so they don't take over the farm.

Dad is reading in Alma chapter 4:19 where Alma the younger has given up the chief judgeship and is going out to bear down with pure testimony. He looked up in the topical guide and was quite interested in the references about testimony. It would be quite the thing if as members of the Church or even members of our family "flooded" our friends and neighbors with our testimony of the Book of Mormon. In the topical guide under Book of Mormon there are some great references. Dad and I are now studying chapter 5 in Preach My Gospel on The Book of Mormon. Let me know what you are doing. We love you all. We had a great time in California and are looking forward to a trip to Georgia in December.
Love,
Mom

Yep

Another great week here in the beautiful country of Portugal! We went to girls camp last Friday, oh and then yesterday we walked to an investigators house that just happened to be farther out of town than the camp site. It was pretty funny. Anyway, the camp was really good for the girls. They weren´t really roughing it very much and they only camped for two nights, but at least they were in tents and were together. This is the very first year they have done a girls camp in this stake and they still don't have much clue what it's all about, but we did teach them how to make a fire. They did roast marshmallows. They did learn camp songs and prepared a camp skit. They learned how to get along a little bit better with one another and with their leaders, and they all loved the experience so I would say it was a smashing success. The stake camp leader--stake young women's president Lynda Marinho lived through it and showed us all how amazing she really is. It was great!
Other great happenings of this week included the baptism of Luís Ribeiro. He is a great man (in size and in spirit) The two zone leaders both suited up in white and on the second try he was successfully baptized by immersion. He then received the Holy Ghost on Sunday and felt the burning in his bosom that was the Spirit's way of touching him. It was a great baptisimal service and a great opportunity to be able to teach a man so humble and just good. He'll be a great leader.
We have been teaching a couple of other great families as well and really we are seeing miracles here in this area. We are having a lot of opposition, but that is how we know that we're doing the right thing. It's pretty darn cool.
In my studies I'm in 1 Nephi 1:4 where I have been for the last couple of days. I am studying the Book of Mormon again and looking up every single reference in the footnotes. It is a really great experience and I am learning a whole lot. I also am in Ezekial in the Old Testament and have really developed a love of the Bible. It is my goal to read through all of the Standard Works during this brief time I have here as a missionary. I am on track to get it all done and am learning so much that helps during the teaching. In Preach my Gospel I am really focusing a lot on the lessons in chapter 3, especially because our ward encouraged the families to encorporate a study plan that starts by studying chapter 3. It is amazing how something written so simply can contain such profound truths and so I'm studying along with them and deepening my understanding of the basics. Oh, and one great exercise in Preach my Gospel Chapter 5 is in the Mission President section in the back where it says to compare 1 Nephi 1 with the experience of Joseph Smith. It was a good couple days of companion study there. One thing I like to do in companion study (or couple study as it applies to Mom and Dad) is to practice teaching each other just like you were teaching someone who knows nothing about the gospel. It helps me to understand better what i have learned because I have to put it into words...also it helps me speak better Portuguese...
Então o meu missionário...agora é o tempo de ti...Eu realmente estou a desfrutar esta experiência. Uma coisa que a minha zona está a fazer que acho que está a me ajudar é decorar os subtitilos, os compromissos, 2-3 frasas e 2 escrituras(local e tema) de cada subtítilo. Foi uma coisa que recebemos no início da missão, mas nem todos acabaram. Estou agora na 2ª lição e faz muito bem lembrar de todas dessas coisas. Vamos acabar antes de fim de Agosto então é uma meta que faz me crescer qual sempre é bom. Um, sim isto é tudo...Amo-te e porta-te bem!!
Love you all! Thanks for all your love and packages and letters and prayers and stuff like that! (até da minha sogra, wink!)

ellen

The Work of the Lord

Oí Família,
What a great week it has been. We are teaching a lot and we are trying to do our best to teach by the spirit and invite all to come unto Christ. Everyday, we can work on one little aspect and be a little bit better each day. We were a little disappointed when Antonio decided to stop investigating but we know that he has his choice and that the Lord will prepare a little bit more before he gets baptized. We keep right on working because this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no other way to get to heaven, only through Jesus Christ and living his gospel. I love the work that I am doing and I can see that sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven. We have to focus on our purpose and prioritize, leaving the things that don´t really matter to the side. Everything that we do needs is done for a purpose and we need to learn something from it or we are just using our time. I am learning that-as a perfectionist I want everything just so so and sometimes it really doesn´t matter. It is so great to be on a mission. I love my companion, he teaches me everyday how to work, be patient, speak the language, love the people, etc... I thank the Lord for that. Well, I hope all continues well in your lives. Enjoy the summer and I will enjoy the cold weather that we are having here. I love you all,

Elder Thompson

Great stuff

We had a wonderful zone conference tuesday with some great folks from Colorado. President and Sister Boss from Boulder and President and Sister McKonkie from Colorado Springs spoke with us. It was a great conference and we learned a lot. Sister Tanner and I are really enjoying each other and working hard. We will be helping with a baptism this weekend. Luis the husband of Conceição is so excited to be making this step. We also get to help a little bit at girls camp tomorrow. They are camping right outside of Braga and we get to help them learn how to put out fires, cook food on a fire, and basically how to have fun.
To all of those who have ever participated in girls camp there in the united states you should all thank your lucky stars that it was there and not here. The poor stake young women's president is the only one who knows more or less what she's doing and she has to organize everything. When I mean everything I do not exaggerate. She got a couple of phone calls from bishops or young womens leaders of different wards (many hours away) asking her how she was going to get the young women from their chapel to the camp site. She's just about pulling her hair out. It's a good thing she served a mission and has all that craziness training to help her through. She'll be sainted afterward I'm sure.

Speaking of saints, we got to see some great sites here in Braga today. We went to a cathedral called Bom Jesus and climbed all the stairs and saw all sorts of pretty gardens and cultural masterpieces. We then walked to another temple 2 km away called Sameiro. That was a very interesting experience. I bought a couple of post cards that you'll all enjoy.

This week we have had quite a few trips to various parts of our zone, and to Porto during the which we got to have a bunch of great gospel conversations. We had a great one on Monday. We were headed to Póvoa do Varzim and taught a Bulgarian named Tamar Nicoleta. We were in the back of the bus and it took a lot of curves. Sister Tanner was just about to relate the 1st vision when Tamar started heaving. Luckily she didn't have anything in her stomach, but that's going to be a great teasing opportunity for years....poor Sister Tanner teaches in such a way that her hearers reach for the Barf Bag... We really do have a great relationship and enjoy poking fun at one another, and at ourselves. Usually however, our contacts are much more positive, and for example Martinho, our contact from last week, showed up at church where he enjoyed immensly the meetings and is excited to return.

Anyway, that's about all that's going on here...A whole bunch of great stuff. Oh, and we had a great Fireside Sunday night. Sister and President Henry came and spoke with the members. They are now following a schedule of study for family night that will take them through the lessons in Preach My Gospel in about a year. It's really a great program and the members are really excited.

Oi Irmão...há tantos brasileiros aqui em braga. O bispo e a família e provávelmente mais três famílias são de várias partes do brasil. É um sotaque bem legal, ouviu? Faz me sempre lembrar de ti...É um grande privilégio servir na obra do senhor. tenho saudades tuas e porta-te bem. Tens sempre as minhas orações.

Love you all! hope you're spoiling all of those cute kids for me Mom. All my love!

ellen

fw Good Work

Oí Família,
What a great week it has been. So much has happened. We are teaching a ton of people and having a lot of success. We have to work hard, trust in the Lord, pray sincerly to him, and thank him for all that we have. We have found some new great families and are looking forward to helping them receive the sweetness of the gospel.
The weather is perfect here as well. It stays in the 70s and seems just like spring when in reality it is the middle of winter. I love my companion. He is such a great teacher and he learns very quickly. I also am learning that I need to work a lot more on the language. That all comes with diligence and hard work. I will get there. Well, I have very little time again today. There is always a lot to do. I love you all and know that all of your lives are very busy. We have to remember to be sure to put the gospel and Lord first and then if we have time add other things. That is what I am trying to do. I am simplying my life. I will surely have a lot less stress because of it.

I love you all,
Elder Thompson