Less than 10 minutes to write!

I literally have less than 10 minutes. We had a district P-Day and it was about an hour and a half away. Anyways, I just got back.  All of the other missionaries wanted to go out to lunch, but I didn't because I wanted to write you guys, but well, here I am now. I am so bummed.

This week has been good. My companion was sick so we were inside a lot.  I guess you can say I have been going a little crazy. But I have also got a lot of studying and Preach my gospel reading in, so thats good. 

It is amazing how much the gift of tongues works and how much the Lord has blessed me. I can just feel the spirit working through me with words that I didn't even know I knew. I love this gospel so much. 

I am so sorry I can only right this. I am really upset because I seriously look forward to today so much. Please tell everyone I love them so much! So sorry!!

Oh, I think Brookie will go somewhere in Europe. :) I want Portugal... you never know. I am so sorry I don't have more time.

Actually now that I think about it, I think she will go to Japan or Hong Kong.  Please tell everyone how sorry I am. I love you so much!!! I cannot wait to here were Brooke is going!! I love you!!!!!!

Love Sister Lacey

Ola Família!!

Overlooking the Rio Douro (Douro River) Vila Nova De Gaia, Portugal 

With the Bishop's Family

New Jacket!

With the Young Women's President in Seixal who just got her mission call to Brazil

Hey guys!!!

So guess what! President wants us to do a 40 day fast not of food or drink but of things that keep us from focusing on the work so I think this is my last letter to you guys. Haha Totally kidding! Anyways, last week I started a fast and then at the end of it I wrote down things I felt like I needed to stop doing and what I need to start doing for 40 days and guess what I felt impressed to do... Stop speaking English. Yep that's right.  It has been interesting but it is seriously so worth it. English has slipped out here and there but it has seriously been only Portuguese. It is pretty cool. Apparently I talked in my sleep the other night and my companion was going to get mad at me for speaking English, but I was speaking Portuguese! Haha I was so excited to hear that. Anyways, its pretty funny.

I have already seen the blessings of this fast. One thing is that I wanted to start talking to more people on the street. I am sad to say but before now, I was completely terrified to just walk up to someone and and start talking to them and I used my Portuguese as an excuse. Well this week I talked to a lot of people and my companion and I have been so blessed! On Tuesday we had just left a member's house and I saw this one lady walking and so I stopped her. We ended up having a lesson right there in the road and she gave us her number and she was just amazing. Her name is Monica and she is from Romania. Well on Thursday we went back to the family and they are amazing, seriously, so awesome and guess who walked in? Yep, Monica.  She is apparently best friends with this couple and so we had another lesson with her... so cool! 

Another awesome miracle that happened. We were leaving the Stake President's house and we were on the metro and this lady sat across from us and I had always said hi to people but I had the impression to leave a pass along card with her. So I did and it turns out 4 years ago she met with the missionaries and they were both transferred and so she stopped going to church and she said she really wants to start going again. Well we ended up staying on the metro for 3 more stops then we had planned because we wanted to talk to her.  So, we got off of the metro and caught another one to head back and we sat down across from another lady and I had a feeling to talk to her too. Well, I was nervous, but she started laughing about what some kids were saying on the metro, so I started laughing too, which kind of broke the ice.  Anyway, we ended up talking to her and had an entire lesson with her. She literally told us she needs the truth because her brothers both died this year and she has been devastated and she asked,  "Do you believe I will see them again?" and we said. "Yes!!" She is amazing. We literally all talked and cried and hugged each other. Cant you just see the Lord's hand in this work??? I mean our plans had changed, we got off 3 stops later and the seats across from her were the only seats left... I mean none of this was a coincidence. 

This is the Lord's work.  He literally does all the heavy lifting. I am so blessed to be here and to see all of these miracles every day. My heart is so full! I love this gospel I know this is Christ's Church. I love you all so much!! 

Love Sister Lacey

Hey Guys!!

Porto and Porto North Zones at Zone Conference

Ola familia!!

Hey guys I am so glad you all get to go to the temple! You all look great!! This week has been great pretty rainy. I mean seriously, I have never seen rain like this before. Haha

I had my first Sunday in the ward and they are awesome! Last night I had dinner at the Stake President's house and they literally reminded me of us. They were all wrestling around and tackling each other. It made me miss you guys. But anyways they are seriously awesome. They asked how long I have been in Portugal and I said "8 weeks" and they said, "you mean 8 months?" and I said "nope I am only in my second transfer" and they almost spit out their food. They just said, well that's what you call the gift of tongues." It made me feel so good.

I just love this gospel. I am going to talk about just a few of the miracles that happened this week. Well, on Wednesday we went to see some less active members and first of all, we got lost.  We went to another member's house and then took the wrong road again.  Well, then we went to another members house and when we were about to knock the door a girl said sisters! "Do you have a pamphlet or something to give me." She laughed at us because apparently we were in shock. She said she is trying to find the true church it was seriously amazing! Then on Thursday we walked out to the far side of our area to try and find some old investigators and we got lost again, but ended up getting help from an older gentleman and he told us where to go and it turns out that he has terminal cancer. We shared our testimonies of the love our Heavenly Father has for us and that he has a plan for us.

There was seriously so much more that happened and it was all the Lord.  We happened to be in the exact places he needed us. And we got lost and changed our plans. This week just made me feel like Ammon in the Book of Mormon in Alma 26:35 When he said, "Now have we not reason to rejoice? Yea, I say unto you, there never were men that had so great reason to rejoice as we, since the world began; yea, and my joy is carried away, even unto boasting in my God; for he has all power, all wisdom, and all understanding; he comprehendeth all things, and he is a merciful Being, even unto salvation, to those who will repent and believe on his name." 

Don't we have great reason to rejoice! We are so blessed to be members of this gospel. This truly is Christ's Church because he is the head of it. If this wasn't His church then trust me, we would not just run into people who the Lord has prepared. 

I also wanted to share this for anyone who might be reading the blog who is not a member or any member who needs to find out if the Book of Mormon is true. This week for training I have practice and taught about The Book of Mormon and I know The Book of Mormon is true and I know that anyone who reads it and follows what Moroni says in Moroni 10:3-5 will know too! It says, "3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

 4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

So in verse 3 he is literally exhorting us or pleading with us that when we read the Book of Mormon that we need to humble ourselves and remember how merciful Our Father in Heaven is and then we need to ponder what we have read. Then in verse 4 he again is pleading with us to ask God our Father in Heaven in the name of his son if these things are true. I know that anyone prays with a sincere heart meaning they are reading because they sincerely want to know not because they want to prove it wrong and if they pray with real intent meaning you really intend to follow the answer you receive and if you have faith in Christ the truth of this Book will come to you through the Holy Ghost because he truly testifies of truth.  

I know this is true because I followed this promise and I felt of the truthfulness of this book and every time I read it I feel closer to my Father in Heaven and to his Son Jesus Christ. This is Christs church and it was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. 

If anyone sincerely wants to know of this church is true get in touch with the missionaries or my family and read The Book of Mormon. Dont just believe or disbelieve in my words find out for yourself. 

Anyways I felt like I needed to share what I have been studying a lot this week. I love you all so much!! I miss you all!! Keep being awesome! Eu ama voces muito!! Este é o Evangelho de Jesus Cristo nosso Salvador!

Com amor Sister Lacey

I love you all so much!! You are all amazing. I LOVE YOU!!

Sister Lacey

Over 2,000 views!!!

Sister Lacey's blog just went over 2,000 views!  Thank you again to all who are interested in and support her missionary efforts in Portugal!

Gaia!!

Huge tile wall in Gaia, Portugal

Sister Lacey with Sister Fuertes, an Elder, and others in Gaia, Portugal

Ola!!

Hey guys!! 

You are all so happy!  I miss you all but you all sound so great. This week has been pretty crazy like I said, I was not expecting to get transferred. Traveling was crazy! Haha I met up with some Elders so that was nice that I didn't have to travel alone. My companion, Sister Fuertes is awesome.  She has only been here for 3 transfers and she is seriously awesome. Gaia is beautiful!! You all should look up some pictures of Gaia by the river.  It is breath taking and exactly what I Googled and saw before the mission. 

Vila de Nova Gaia, Portugal

Wasn't General Conference amazing!?! I got to watch a lot of it! And I was so excited to hear people speaking in their native tongues!  Especially to hear it in Portuguese. I won't sound like him when I get back though because he is from Brazil, but it was still way cool. I feel so honored and I feel I have taken it for granted in the past that our church is built upon prophets and apostles just like when Christ was on the Earth. This is his church. I know it. Trust me, this work would not be being taught around the world if it was not Christ's work. We are so blessed.

We have already met many wonderful people here and the ward is awesome. My favorite hymn is Mais Perto Quero Esta or Nearer my God to thee and I like to sing some of it while we are walking. I know me singing it... Haha. I actually sing a lot here on my mission and people say I sound good. They might just be really nice. Haha. Well, we walked past this one lady and we smiled and said hello and I began singing.  Well, the lady stopped and began singing with us. And then she began telling us that she met with the missionaries around 10 years ago and that was her favorite hymn. I just love the way our Father in Heaven touches the hearts of people. She was taking the lessons with them and then they got transferred and I guess went home or something and she stopped going to church. She has our number now so hopefully we can start meeting with her. 

President has us study about the atonement for 15 minutes everyday and I just love it. I am learning more and more from reading the scriptures and talks from apostles.  I know that we will never be able to fully comprehend the Atonement in this life. But what I have learned is that when the Savior suffered for our sins in Gethsemane, it was a whole mass of sin heaped upon him, but it was still individual. Everything Christ did in his mortal life was for the one. He left the 99 sheep for the one. So wouldn't it make since that the Atonement would be personal and individual?  He saw each of us and suffered for all of pains, sins, temptations and weaknesses.  He knows us and loves us! And he knows how to help us if we have faith in him. I love him. I know he is our Savior and that it is only through him that we can return to our Loving Heavenly Father. 

I am so blessed to be on a mission. I feel so uplifted everyday by such amazing people. I love it here and I know this gospel is true. I love you all so much!! 

Sister Lacey