Thank you all so much for the emails! I was crying this morning. It was all of your fault! Haha I miss you all so much. I am not going to lie the mission is the hardest thing but yet most rewarding thing I have ever done... and I have only been here for 3 weeks! It is pretty funny when you feel like one hour of personal study, one hour of companion study and then 1 and half of Language study isn't enough. Sometimes I wish there were more hours in a day. Especially on P-day.
Last Tuesday we had a devotional and it was amazing!! Steven Ellis from of the Seventy came and spoke to us and each of his 9 children who all served missions shared their testimonies. Two of his sons served in Portugal and our zone almost screamed when they said where they served, but we thought it wouldn't be appropriate for a devotional. It was just amazing to hear all the different things they each had to share about their missions and how it blessed their life in different ways. It was just a testimony to me that everyone is called to a mission where they will not only teach and help others but they themselves will grow. We went up and talked to one of the sons and he told us he was expecting a scream from the missionaries who were going to Portugal :-). He told us how awesome the people are in Portugal and how awesome President Fluckiger and his wife are. Speaking of President; I met his niece here. We have the same gym time and she was awesome! Oh, and speaking of gym time, they finished the gym and they have an indoor track! Lets just say I am in Heaven. I missed running so much.
I really have a testimony of companionship inventory. Sister Mancuso and I had a rough spot in a lesson and lets just say I was really frustrated. Basically we set a plan of what we were going to teach and it went a different direction than that and I had no idea what my companion or the investigator were saying. So, to make a long story short, Sister Mancuso and I talked about it and being the girls that we are, started bawling. And just saying we wanted to talk to our family and how we missed you guys. It was really good and we realized that we are not mad at each other just stressed in general. I just told her how frustrated I am with the language and how it just makes me feel like I cant teach what I want to say and she said how good I am doing with the language and said the only way she gets by is by filling in with Spanish words. Haha So anyways it was really good. She is awesome and helps me be positive.
I memorized the first vision and James 1:5 in Portuguese! I seriously get the chills at the end of reciting the first vision where Heavenly Father said, "Ouve-o." Or Hear Him. Awe I love Portuguese!! I heard a quote from Elder Bednar and he said something to the effect that,"You are called to preach in a language to which the Spirit can best teach through you." Isn't that awesome? So that means that Portuguese is the best way that the Spirit can teach those I come in contact with. Sometimes missionaries make the joke, I wish I was called to English speaking, it would be so much less work, but I actually think it would be harder for me. I think that if I was called to an English speaking mission I would rely on what I thought was best to say instead of the Holy Ghost. Because I know so little of Portuguese it is amazing what things come to mind as I am teaching lessons. Just simple phrases like Eu sei que Jesus Cristo es nosso Salavdor (I know Jesus Christ is our Savior). Don't get me wrong, I have a long way to go, but it is just amazing the way the Spirit works.
Sister Mancuso and I had T.R.C. on Friday were you teach a member who is fluent in Portuguese. It was so cool! This was the first time we've taught someone other than our teachers role playing. We taught a man from Brazil. I did not understand much of what he said at all but we were laughing and having a great time. Mostly because I sound like such a white girl when I speak. Haha. My teachers say I am doing really good though and that I will pick up on the accent once I get there. They said they have no concerns with me and the language. They do tell me I need to have more confidence though. It was pretty funny when we were teaching my teacher Brother James, he paused the lesson and said, "Sister Lacey, you know this. Be confident!" Haha. And from then on the lessons have been going really good. I mean my grammar is terrible but the Spirit is still strong. Yesterday we got out of the lesson and Brother Gray said,"Sisters, Bom!!" Bom means good. He told us that we did really good. I cannot wait to meet people in Portugal!!
We got Brother Gray (our teacher) to tell us a funny story about his mission. He told us about how he and his companion got robbed and they gave all of their money and things to this man and they started to walk away and Brother Gray said,"I want you to give me two dollars back." I guess the man looked at him like he was crazy but Brother Gray said," You know we are missionaries and have a lot of work to do and I am not walking into town tomorrow so we need two dollars for the bus." The guy gave him two dollars and he ran off. Brother Gray said how proud he was that even though that guy robbed them he was still in control. It was so funny! Haha
This gospel is amazing and prayer has really become so much more meaningful to me. I am really trying to pray to and talk with my Father in Heaven and think of Him being right there in front of me as I pray. It makes my prayers so much more sincere. I love you all so much!! You are amazing. Thank you for all the support you give to me. I LOVE YOU!!!
Love, Sister Lacey
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