Os eleitos dos confins da terra!

 

Dora's family!

Ola minha querida família! 

Okay first of all..... 

Jason!!!!!! I am seriously so happy!! That is literally so cool! Sister Harper and I were freaking out. Haha I am in shock still!! 

This week was amazing! I love Vila Franca de Xira. To start off with a funny story. So as you all know, we planted flowers at the chapel. Well, we have been watering in the mornings and our neighbors have been giving us Americans flower advice. Well throughout the week they said we were giving them too much water and they said this from their balconies looking at us. Haha Well I saw one man who was the ring leader (who owns a store close to the church) behind all of this yesterday after church and he told us that now we are not giving them enough water. Well you all know me I had to say something. I said, ´´Oh tens uma loja e tambem tu es uma florista agora?´´ (Oh so you own a store and now you are a florist) I then told him that he needs to come to church so he can see them better. Haha He laughed a little. I love Portugal! 

We also found one of the coolest people ever this week. The work was going a little slow and we decided to say a prayer and we both thought to go to this neighborhood that we had never went to before. Well when we were there we saw this man working on his car. We offered to help him which made him laugh and then he began to tell us that he talked with the Elders 15 years ago in Brazil. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he literally was so happy and he just held it and looked at it like an old friend. Seriously it was so cool!!! The Lord is preparing people. I am sure those missionaries were so sad that he wasn't baptized years ago. He is so prepared! 

Also one really cool thing happened in church! Doras cousin from Norway came with his family to our branch. Which happened to double our size... They got baptized 3 years ago and they actually went to the chapel and knocked on the door and asked to be taught! Haha They just recently all got sealed together. It is literally amazing to see Christ's gospel covering the whole earth! I love this work soooooo much!! I love you all!! Amo voces tanto! 

Com amor. Sister Lacey 

Just pictures this week

Pictures from the zoo last week :-)

She saw Sister Swain at the zoo!

O poder do Espírito

Sister Harper likes to take black and white photos :-)

Irma Dora, the Relief Society President

Playing with their pitbull

The walk to Cotovios

Hey guys!! 

I am so happy you guys are all having such a great summer! I loved all the pictures you sent and all the funny stories. you guys are amazing! Sorry I don't have much time today we are heading of to the zoo in Lisboa in about 20 minutes. 

This week was amazing! I was looking through some of the notes I have written in my study Journal over the past year (I´m still in shock about that haha) And I was amazed at the progress I have made. It has been an amazing year. I have grown so much closer to my Savior. I love in the Book of Mormon in Jacob 4:12 it says, ´´And now, beloved, marvel not that I tell you these things; for why not speak of the atonement of Christ, and attain to a perfect knowledge of him...´´. I love this scripture. It is literally says that we can come to a perfect knowledge of our Savior and Jacob speaks about this after explaining the importance of Prophets and their words. Or in other words The Book of Mormon Conference Talks. We really can come to know our Savior. Not just know about him but KNOW him. And over this year I feel like I have come to know him so much more. 

One of the most powerful experiences of my mission happened Saturday morning. We have been working with a a less active member who is smoking she had explained her desire to stop. She has been returning to church and helping us with lessons. Well when we left the house Saturday morning we ran into to her and she had a box of cigarettes. I asked her what her goal was to stop smoking and she said, ´´I am doing good Sister, I bought this box yesterday and look i only smoked one.´´ I said, ´´No you just bought that box and already smoked one this morning.´´ She said that was true. And then we testified that that cigarette can be the last that she smokes for the rest of her life, if she relies on the Lord.

We went to her house invited her to pray and ask the Lord if that was his will. We left and ran back to our get some things from our house like A fan and mint gum to help get the smell out of her house. We were a site to see running around like that with a big fan haha. When we came back she had her scriptures opened on her lap and she said I found my answer this is what she read in Doctrine and Covenants 11: 14, 28 and 30, ´´And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive. Behold I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the World.

 But verily, verily, I say unto you, that as many as receive me, to them will I give power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on my name. Amen.´´

Isn't that amazing! She said that she knows that she can stop smoking in that moment because that was a worthy desire of her heart and God as there to strengthen her. 

I am so thankful for our Loving Heavenly Father who truly answers our prayers. I love you all so much!!

Colette Encarnado

Sintra, Portugal

Sintra

Ola minha Família!! 

Hey guys!! This week just flew bye! It was pretty crazy with the Colette Encarnado (Bulls in the street). Don't worry we were not anywhere close to the bulls or party.

I don't have much time today we went to Sintra. It was so cool! Basically it is were all the Kings and Queens of Portugal built their summer houses antigamente. Haha It is just beautiful! There is palaces and old libraries, gardens with ponds and sculptures! It was just beautiful! It was so funny because there were a lot of tourists there and so when we spoke in Portugese they looked at us like we were so cool and then we would switch into English to talk to them. Haha It was fun.

So I met Presidente and Sister Tavares on Thursday! They are amazing! Sister Tavares served here in Portugal! She also happened to serve in Gaia and Setúbal! She said when she was leaving Portugal 30 years ago that she thought well I am never coming back and then the strongest impression came to her that she would be back. Cool huh? They are amazing. They were all joking around with us so much. One thing that i loved that President Tavares said was that he said that we obey the commandments for more than just our love of god but because we want to become as he is. And that is why obedience is the first love of Heaven. He also talked about the Book of Mormon and that we need to give it to someone and let them know that it is the best gift we can offer them. And we did that this week.  One girl we met had tears in her eyes as we testifyied. It was amazing! 

So this week I was really hard on myself. I know not me. ;) I was just harder than I usually am. I think Satan is trying really hard on me and making me feel like I haven't done enough and that I am not good enough. The experience I had the other night kind of reminded me of Enos in r~the Book of Mormon he says in verse 2 and 4, ´´And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins. And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul.´´

I just really prayed harder than I ever have in my whole life and it really was as enos said a ´´wrestle which I had before God´´ but then the coolest thing happened I had the stongest feeling to reread a letter Brooke sent to me and it said, ´´Dont be hard on yourself and dont stress out. Our Heavenly Father and our Savior are SO proud of you! They love you!´´ It was such an answer to prayers and I just love how the spririt works. That you guys are still helping me even when we are all so far away. 

I love you all so much!! We are all so blessed! Thank you for being the best family I could ask for!! Eu amo vocês!! 

Com amor, Sister Lacey