Famílias são eternas

A visit with Silvana and her family

First bite of a smore

The dog stealing the smore :-0

Hey Guys!!

So I am staying here in Vila Franca de Xira. I am here with Sister Anaya she is from Texas and she seems awesome. 

This week I had probably one of the saddest as well as coolest lessons ever! We taught a young couple  The Plan of Salvation. They are from another church and they just would not accept it. And do you know why? They said that Families will not be together forever. They said yes we will live forever but not with our families. We taught and testified that this is Gods perfect plan for us and that he wants us to be happy and that is why we are in our born into our families. I literally have never testified so much in my life. I cried as I said that I know that I will be with my family forever because that is Gods promise to us as we keep the commandments and that Adam and Eve partook of the fruit so that we could be here and that God want us to return to him as families so that is why he provided us a savior. His plan is perfect! 

I left that lesson feeling so grateful for what I know to be true and for the opportunity I have to share that with others. I know that families are forever. That is because God is a loving God! I know this gospel is true! I love you all so much!! 

Com amor, Sister Lacey

O Evangelho de Cristo

New PJs and package from home :-)

The flowers they planted a while ago

Making torillas

Ola Minha Família, 

Hey guys sorry plans changed so much. So the wedding actually didn't happen they haven't got all of the papers they needed yet. So that was a bummer but I actually got permission to go see them today for P-Day because who knows if I will be transferred far way. I am so excited. I will take a lot of pictures. :) 

This week was amazing I hit a point in my mission that I realized that I speak Portuguese. Haha I know it seems a little late but I just love it. I talked to this one lady on the phone and she asked where I was from in Portugal. Haha I laughed so hard and said that I am American but it made me feel really good. 

So for a funny story. Our Branch President Rui Marques has 2 kids, Lara and Tomas. Tomas is seven and he is hilarious. He tries to be rebellious but his parents dont let him. We starting joking around about Tomas becase he was smiling a lot at this young women in the ward and Sister Harper said,´´Ela é tua namorada tomas?´´ (Is she your girlfriend tomas) And he said, ´´Ja tenho suficiente Sister.´´ (I already have sufficient sister) I seriously laughed so hard. His mom then told him that he better not have any because he knows he cant date until he is 16. They are great. 

This week has been amazing. We found a family! They are from Brasil and they are amazing! They have 2 little Boys and they have been married for about 5 years. It is just amazing to me how much the Lord really does prepare people. They have heard about ´´mormons´´ in their church so they were a little apprehensive to talk to us but they want to know the truth. It is just amazing to me how much the spirit works through us to testify to them that the fullness of the Gospel of Christ was restored. The same doctrine, the same ordinances, the same authority and it is the only church on the earth that has the fullness. Irma Dora came with us to a lesson and she said that doubts are normal but all those can be taken away through sincere reading of the Book of Mormon. She is amazing! They are reading and praying and want to know. 

I have been thinking a lot lately about my testimony and the moments when I really came to know that this is Christ's church. And it is amazing how much I came to know when I was just a child. I still remember praying next to my bed at 4 years old with Brooke when she was only 2. I just always knew that God existed. I have also thought a lot about when I read the Book of Mormon and finished it for the first time I have shared that experience a lot this week and I am so thankful. Because from that experience I know that if a little 11 year old can know it is true and then a 14 year old boy can be called to be a prophet and can see God the Father and Jesus the Christ. I am so thankful for this gospel. Hold on to the things that we know. I have explained this to people that we can really say we know. Because if we felt the spirit testifying to us then it is a fact that God responded so then we KNOW. 

I love you all so much. Remember what President Uchtdorf said, ´´Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.´´ Eu amo vocês tanto. Fica feliz. Amem O Senhor! 

Vila Franca de Xira

Sister Lacey responded to individual emails today so there is no general email :-(.

Branch BBQ 

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Amo minha missão

With Camilla

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Compal "Best juice out there"

After 13 months, her bag finally gave out

Ola minha querida família!! 

Hey guys! That is so crazy about how famous Brooke and Jason are! That article was so cool! I am still blown away! So Sister Harper and I had a day out in Lisboa and we got back a little late so I don't have much time again. 

To start off nothing seemed to really be going right this week. we would go to our scheduled appointments and they literally all fell through. Contacts in the street didn't go very well as well. We were feeling pretty down and I literally have never been so tired in my life. I thought college was hard! Haha Well I was praying because of course I just thought it was all my fault but then i realized that I will never be a perfect missionary. My purpose here is to rely on my Savior and my Father in Heaven. It is amazing how much I am changing as I need to rely on them. I am seriously so thankful and happy. 

So for a funny story. Last night we were knocking doors and we came to this one door which was opened and we said,´´Hello.´´ And this man walked up, we began explaining that we are missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and he said,´´Nao quero nada, mas se voces quisserem voces podem ver futebol (I don't want anything but if you guys want you can watch soccer) I seriously laughed so hard. we then talked to him a little in his doorway and he said he was making bread and I asked him how we can make Portuguese bread and he said, ´´Its easy just flour, yeast, a few eggs and a little bit of milk and that's it.´´ I laugh hard again and told him it must be a Portuguese secret that they don't give to us foreigners because literally that is what everyone says when you ask how to make bread. haha 

Okay so I want to invite all of you guys to do something this week with me. I want to just thank Heavenly Father in my prayers this week and I just had the feeling to invite you all to do the same. We are so blessed. 

I am so thankful for my mission. I am seriosuly so happy and I love serving here. I love you all sooooooo much! Stay safe! I pray for you always.

Com tanto amor, Sister Lacey 

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Don't let the lice bite...

Treating the little critters :-(

Vila Franca Branch

Ola minha família!! 

Hey guys! Yep and you guessed it we got lice again! It is literally the worse. So I dont have much time today because we are going to get a new bed delivered from the mission office. Anyways, I guess I am kind of cursed now because my hair is getting long. Haha We literally spent hours just pulling lice out of each others hair. Not fun. Learning experiences. 

For some good news. Church was amazing yesterday! I seriously love this Branch so much! I just love the Portuguese people more than I ever thought I would! This Branch just loves us so much a lot of them bore their testimonies about us and I cried. And we also had 2 investigators their who cried all through church and they said they felt different! It was amazing. 

Since I am kind of running out of time I will send you what Sister Harper wrote her family for the week. So that way you guys can get a what happened. 

´´Good night

Sleep Tight!

Don't let the bed bugs or lice bite

But if they do

Let them chew. 

For you see,

 Bed bugs and lice get hungry too. 

we received a visit this week from those small intruders that no one wants to invite over. Or let stay. But they were having a hay day on our heads. 

We HAD LICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But besides that, this week was real real awesome! 

I am really beginning to understand the Atonement better. I really am way to hard on myself. I have realized that I am not expected to be perfect but to be trying. President Uchtdorf said,´´Of all the principles taught by prophets over the centuries, one that has been emphasized over and over again is the hopeful and heartwarming message that mankind can repent change course and get back on the true path of discipleship.´´ I am so thankful for the Atonement. It helps us when we are crying about bugs on are heads, when we miss our family and when, we need to change and really come unto Christ.

 I love you all so much!! We are so blessed!! 

Com tanto amor, Sister Lacey