Minha Família!!

Sisters Lacey and Ventura with members of the ward

Manuel and Carmen

Ola!!! Ta tude bem!!??

First of all I am so so sorry for not writing yesterday. We had an interesting couple of days. My companion is Sister Ventura.  She is from Utah and she is awesome! I love her. I still cant believe that I am finishing her training right now.

Okay So about the last couple weeks. My last Sunday in Gaia was amazing! Silvia and her daughter Bea bore their testimonies. The spirit was so strong. And I did as well. I just love that ward. Bishop got up and said how thankful he is for us missionaries and said he thinks of us as his kids and that we are truly angels for the people of Portugal. It was so cool. Sister Fuertes and I also set a goal at the beginning of the transfer to have 80 people in Sacrament meeting. Well, my last Sunday there we had 85 people! I was so happy. That ward is just amazing. That Sunday we went to see Silvia and Luis and and with Silvia we picked a date for her baptism. We had the feeling that she would choose the right date. Well she said the 27th of December. And that is what we were thinking before hand!  Well then we got down on our knees and prayed. She asked Heavenly Father if that was the right day for her to be baptized and she began to cry in the prayer.. I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who truly does hear and answer our prayers. Well, after that, we got the call that I was going to Setubal in the morning and that I would be training, well finishing the training of a Sister. Silvia and I cried and she just hugged me. And then I gave her daughter Bea a hug goodbye and she said Sister Lacey fique aqui! Which means stay here. Awe it was so hard to leave them.

Okay so now I am in Setubal! It is great here. I think it is the biggest ward in all of Portugal. We had our ward Party on Saturday and lets just say it was a party! Haha We started at 1 and it didn't end until around 8:30. They were all so fun dancing and just having a good time together. And just a side note there are a lot of Africans in the ward.  I love them so much... I was missing them. :)

On Thursday Sister Ventura and I had lunch with this elderly couple. Jose, was baptized recently and just got the Priesthood. And his wife is not a member yet. Well, they are just a true Portuguese couple. Their food, humor, hospitality. Awe I love them! We had so much fun with them I laughed so hard at all of their jokes. I just cant even explain how funny they are. I just love the people of Portugal. We had a lesson with them after lunch and the spirit was so strong. She is from another church and says she doesn't want to be just leave a church that she was born in and grew up in. And then we just testified to her that we are not there to take away her faith or the things she believes in but just to add to the things she already knows.

Our Zone leaders have asked us as companionships to contact 50 people a day and talk about the He is The Gift video and invite them to church. It is amazing how much more love I not only have for the people, but for this work as we literally stop and talk to everyone. We even have started to talk to people that have already gotten a pass along card. And they say I already have one and then I say well have you watched the video yet and then they laugh and say no and then I tell them to well here is another card... watch it.

I know this church is true. Today for personal study I studyied more about the atonement but also about Our Loving Heavenly Father. I am in awe everyday of his love for us. And that we have the oppurtuinity to pray and talk with him at any moment. I read a qoute from Elder Ballard and he talked about how singifcant it is that when Our Heavnly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove the first word Our Father said was, "Joseph." This is the same relationship he has with us. He knows us by name and he loves us with a love we cannot begin to comprehend. And his love for us is shown through the gift of his beloved son, our Savior, because through him through his help through is strength we will be happy in this life and return to our loving Heavenly Father again. 

I know this church is true. I love you all so much!!

Love Sister Lacey