O nosso Pai Celestial

Thanksgiving dinner

Thanksgiving dinner

Presidente Sousas Birthday Surprise

Presidente Sousas Birthday Surprise

Presidente Sousas Birthday Surprise

Ola minha Família,

Hey guys!! I hope you all had a great thanksgiving! It sounds like you did. I am not going to lie I was kind of scared that I was not going to celebrate it this year because my companion is from Canada haha but we ended up celebrating it after district meeting. It was so fun!! I will send pictures. 

So I am going to start out with a funny story. We were eating with Família Bernardo and Tiago was talking about how he plays the guitar. Well Sister Selk and I said at the same time, ´´Quero ouvir!´´ (I want to hear). He looked at us with a smirk on his face and said,´´È normal.´´ (that´s normal) I seriously laughed so hard. He seriously just acted like we were such annoying fan girls! Haha 

So for another funny story, I am defiantly getting over my not so touchy feely side. Haha Well the other day we went over to President Louis Sousa's house. We walked in and I started giving his wife and daughters Beijinhos (the kisses on the cheek) well I went straight up to Presidente and almost gave him Beijinhos as well!!! We seriously were all dying!! I laughed so hard. I am pretty Portuguese now. 

We worked a lot this week with Irmã Graziela (the relief society President) she is amazing! She talked about her conversion story. She was baptized 27 years ago. Well the Elders were knocking doors on her street and had the feeling to go to return to her house. They knocked on the door and Bella (tiagos mom) opened it she said her mom wasn't home but that they could come by the next day. When Graziela heard about that she was very mad her daughter and wanted her to send the Elders away when the came by. Well Graziela opened the door and she said they looked like angels with big smiles on their faces so she had a change of heart and invited them in. They talked about how Christs gospel was restored and invited them to read the Book of Mormon. She invited them to come over about a week later. Well turns out she couldn't get enough of the Book of Mormon. Her and Bella where fighting over who would read it next. They found out were the Elders lived and said they wanted to be baptized! Isn't that amazing! 

I love everything about Portugal. The people here are amazing! I just love them! I love everything about this beautiful culture. On Thursday we were doing some contacting and ended up talking to a man who is 95 years old. He was hilarious! We talked about the Plan of Salvation with him and about the love God has for him. He is amazing! I will try sending a video. :) He is wearing a hat that most of the Elderly men here in Portugal wear and one of his friends is wearing a scarf of Benefica, a beloved futebol team. :) 

I just wanted to end my letter for this week and say that I know that our Heavenly Father is perfect and he is loving. I have heard a lot this week that if God exists and if he does love us then why is the world the way it is. Well for me it is simple. Obedience is the first law of Heaven, and guess who also is obedient, perfectly obedient? Our Father in Heaven, he will never ever take away our agency. This world is the way it is because it is a fallen world because men make wrong choices and forget the Lord their God. Everything that is wrong and bad and evil about this world has nothing to do with God and everything that is perfect, good and bright about this world comes from him. In John 3 Christ explains that he is the light of the world and said,´´ 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light,because their deeds were evil.20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light,  neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.21 But he that doeth truth cometh  to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. And he goes on to talk about our loving Father.´´16 ¶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth   in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.´´

This plan is perfect. God is loving and he mourns with the wrong some of his children are doing but he rejoices as we do what his right. 

I love this gospel and that because of the vision that Joseph had of God the Father and his beloved Son Jesus Christ we truly can know of his nature. He loves us! And oh how I love him! 

Eu amo voces!! 

Com tanto amor e carinho, Sister Lacey