Sister Lacey had a great... fall

 3/30/15 - Sister Lacey fell while running this morning :-(     

Sister Swain and Sister Lacey @ Jardim Engenheiro Luís da Fonseca

Sister Swain and Sister Lacey @ Jardim Engenheiro Luís da Fonseca

Ola Minha familia! 

Hey guys!!! How are you??? I can't believe it has already been another week. Crazy! So about the subject of this email. We were running this morning around a park and I fell pretty hard. Haha I face planted and everything. Haha But anyways, my wrist hurts a bit so this might be kind of short. :) 

This week was awesome! So to start out with a funny story. You know how there is that rule that you can't hold babies? Well yesterday we were at lunch at a members house and they have four little kids well the youngest one just turned one and he is adorable! Anyways I look kind of like his mom. So he crawled up behind me during lunch and wanted me to hold him and just said, Mama. I almost died and they were all laughing because they knew it was killing me not to pick him up. Haha Seriously hardest rule ever!! 

Have you guys seen "Because He Lives? It is sooooo good! I cried. I also started another 40 day fast the other day. I was feeling like I was just kind of going through the motions... Which I know sounds really bad, but I had the feeling to memorize the Living Christ in Portuguese in these next 40 days and it is amazing how much more I appreciate my Savior and just love others in general. It was really cool last night we had an appointment that fell through and I had the strongest impression to knock on one door in that building. I kind of ignored it, but it came back, so we did. And this one man opened the door and seriously he looks like a Bishop!! Haha And his family was adorable! He said he doesn't believe and he was pretty cold at first but we got to talking more and he warmed up a bit. We have an appointment with him and his family this Thursday! :) 

I know this is The Lords work! I am so happy here! I have come to know my Savior more and more everyday. For me now he is more than just cool stories but he is a real perfect loving man. He is my savior. I love him. And I want to be more like him. This is his work this is his church. I hope that we all take advantage of the opportunity we will have this week to here from his servants in General Conference. And I also think it is amazing what you guys are doing as a ward with reading the Book of Mormon! I can honestly say that reading studying the Book of Mormon is the best way we can come to know our Savior better. I love you all so much!!! 

Sister Lacey 

Silvana got baptized!! Que bênção!!!

Silvana's baptism!

Sister Swain and Sister Lacey

Making chocolate chip cookies

Setubal, Portugal

Moroni and his favorite team jerseys

Ola minha família,

Hey guys!!! Man this week flew by!!  I can't believe Brookie is in Japan!!! Ahhhhhh I love that there are 2 Sister Laceys in the World!! Haha This week was... AMAZING!!!!

So Silvana got baptized!!! It was seriously amazing. And such a  testimony builder that the Lord is in charge of this work. She was literally just so prepared. So a little background about her. Her boyfriend's brother is a recent convert and then her boyfriend got baptized 3 weeks ago. They have a little baby together. So let me explain a little. They are not living together and they are getting married next month. Well, anyways we have been talking about the blessing of keeping the law of chastity and I just cried as I talked about your relationship mom and dad and how much you trust each other and the blessings of this commandment now that they have been living it. She also said now how much their relationship has changed and she said they are more loving and care more about each other. She said I just was never taught differently. She is seriously awesome!! She literally said that the world just doesn't understand the importance of commandments. She said they are for our protection because our Father in Heaven wants us to be happy. She is amazing!!!!

One other really cool story. We were contacting some people last week and were not having much success. Well, I was feeling a little down and I said a prayer saying how I just really want to know if my father in Heaven is proud of me. Well, right after that we walked by this one lady and so I started talking to her. Well, she doesn't believe in God but she said she wants to. And also the only thing she knows about the church is that 7 years ago two sister missionaries knocked on her door and she didn't let them in because she wasn't feeling good. Well, it turns out the next day she found a card in her mailbox that said "Get better soon, love the sisters". She said that is the only thing she knows about Mormons. I don't know about you, but I think that is a pretty good thing. :) 

I know this is Christ's Church! If we really are his disciples we need to truly love one another. We need to show others the joy we feel! We are so blessed!!! I love you all so much!!!! 

Sister Lacey

P.S. I cannot wait for the new Easter video!!! Christ lives!!! Ele Vive!!!

Setúbal de novo! :)

Ward Mission Leader who was just called to Japan!

Zona de Setúbal!!!

Ola minha família!!!

So transfer calls were last night but I am staying in Setubal with Sister Swain!! I am really excited. I feel like I haven't done enough here in this area yet, so it will be great.

It sounds like you all had a great week!! I am so proud of you Clay!!! Awe you are so cool! Haha This week was awesome... it flew by!! 

So we were still in the process of switching areas and we finally switched all of the investigators over and Silvana who we have been working with came up to us at church and said she wants to be baptized! She is so cool!! We are really excited. :)

So another amazing miracle happened this week. We got a referral from the Elders and when we went to go see them, they had another family over at their house. Well, we had the first lesson with them all. It was so cool!! They are from another Church and had heard some not so good things about Mormons but we cleared it all up. It is so funny how much I am changing. They were saying everything that they heard about us, about The Book of Mormon and about Joseph Smith and I stayed quiet and let them talk. Haha Weird isn't it. ;) But then we just testified to them and said that they need to follow Moroni's promise at the end of the Book of Mormon. We explained that the Book of Mormon is like a cake. We can say how good it is as long as they want, but they will never know unless they try it themselves. They just answered and said okay we want to try it then. :) They are so cool and the spirit was so strong.

I love you all so much!! I am learning and growing so much here. I am so blessed to serve here! It is really hard but it is so worth it. I love this gospel it is Christ's church. I LOVE YOU ALL!! And pray for you always!! 

Sister Lacey

Eight months!!! A serio???

Floating Umbrella Street!

Ola minha querida família!! 

Hey guys!! Okay, I am literally in shock right now. Eight months!!! That is seriously crazy. I literally cannot get over it. I still feel like I am new in the mission. Haha This week was seriously amazing!!! 

So to start out, the area change as been a little hard... basically starting from zero. Well, I have been a little hard on myself and my prayers have been a little selfish. I have been basically saying I have been trying my best; I am talking to a lot of people; I am being obedient; I feel like I am trying my hardest, so I don't know what else to do. Well, I finally stopped thinking about myself and a miracle happened. 

On Tuesday night this one man walked past with his 2 daughters and I was pretty frustrated that day we didn't have much success but I knew I need to talk to him. He said he was in a hurry and started to walk away and I persisted Bore my testimony about Christ and even surprisingly got his contact information. Well I didn't think much of it because he didn't seem very interested but On Wednesday night we had the feeling that we should call him the next day and so I did. But I think what made a difference was that night in my prayer I said, Heavenly Father I transfers are coming up and if I get transferred I cannot leave the area like this. We need someone a family who is prepared to hear our message. So the next day I called him and he said he was really busy and didn't have time but I had the strongest impression to testify off the importance Our message as for his family specifically and there was silence on the phone for a long time. I actually thought he had hung up on me but then he said, "Tambem, podem agora." (Okay you guys can come over now) We basically ran all the way there. His wife wasn't home and he had work soon after so we talked about The Book of Mormon and that he can know for himself the things we are saying are true. Que milagre!!! (what a miracle)

I know this church is true!! It was seriously so amazing to see yet again that this is the Lords work and that he is preparing the hearts of the people here!!! I love you all so much!!!

Sister Lacey 

4,000 views!

Sister Lacey's blog went over 4,000 views today!  Thank you all for your continued interest in her missionary experiences!

Novo área!!

Ola minha família!!!

I cannot believe it has been another week. This week has flown by!! Its pretty funny because since we switched areas, it feels like Gaia all over again.  Maps, asking people in the streets where to go. Haha 

So we are doing a lot of finding right now. So many cool, tender mercies have happened this week. So one that happened, we were walking and doing contacts and no one was really interested and then we walked past this building and the door flew open! Sister Swain and I just looked at each other and went into the building. Well, we started at the top and knocked on every door and no one opened it until the last door and this guy opened it up and we told him who we were and that we would like to share a message with him about Christ. He said,"Well I don't really believe in Christ and don't think I ever will." And I said,"Oh, you will." He just looked at me and laughed and said, "Fine you guys can come back another day." 

So on Saturday we had a pretty rough day with not much success. Another cool thing happened that was really sad but also such a blessing. We were walking back to our house and I saw this one lady walking this little boy who is about 2 years old. Well I stopped her and tried talking to her and lets just say she wasn't very nice. Well we walked away kind of bummed and I had the feeling to turn around and when I did, that little boy had the biggest smile on his face. And he was just waving at me. I literally just cried. He would keep on walking and then would just turn around again and wave and smile. I remember Clay mentioned that on his mission how much more receptive children are to the spirit. 

Sometimes I get pretty hard on myself and I blame myself for our lack of success but that little boy just made me realize that he could feel the spirit and that it is not my fault if people choose not to except this wonderful gospel or not. I know that it is only the adversary that makes us feel like we are inadequate and that it is our Father in Heaven and his Son who comfort and strengthen us. 

This morning I read in 1 Nephi 7:17-18 When Nephi's brothers bound him and he says,"17 But it came to pass that I prayed unto the Lord, saying: O Lord, according to my faith which is in thee, wilt thou deliver me from the hands of my brethren; yea, even give me strength that I may burst these bands with which I am bound.

 18 And it came to pass that when I had said these words, behold, the bands were loosed from off my hands and feet, and I stood before my brethren, and I spake unto them again.

I love Nephi so much. Instead of asking to be freed, he asked for the strength to be freed according to his faith. I think sometimes when we having trials in our life we ask for them to be taken away without realizing that it is our trials or challenges and heartaches that make us better and that make us more like our Savior who suffered all. I also love that Nephi didn't wait around.  He went right back to speak to his brothers; he went right back to work. 

I know this is the Lord's work. I can feel myself stretching and growing so much and let me tell you, it is not exactly comfortable, but I know this is the Lord's work and it is making me better.  In Moroni 7:48 it says,"...pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart...that ye may become the sons of God; that when (Christ) shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure...." This is the purpose of my mission and of our lives to become better and to become pure. I love you all so much!!!

Sister Lacey