Have you ever?

Have you ever just been having one of those weeks, and all of a sudden at your zone conference you find out that you got a package from home, and it has peanut butter, and oreos, and beef jerky and suddenly the sky clears and the sun shines in on you because you are filled with joy at the sight of seemingly normal products?

 

Ya. That happened this week. Thanks to THE CLIN-TON and THE ELIS-ABETH. Thank you sooooooo much you guys. I accidentally ate almost the whole bag of beef jerky last night. Whoops. We ran out of real food and I couldn't handle the idea of milk and cereal again, so I ate a lot of beef jerky.

 

But don´t worry, we don´t always run out of real food. Monday is our day to buy groceries, so sunday night is always slim pickins.

 

Let me tell you about a little something else that brought joy and sunshine into the picture this week. LAERCIO was baptized! Woo hoo! He is really great, has a young family with a wife and a daughter. His wife is so sweet and she is preparing to be baptized as well. I have a special place in my heart for his wife cinthia. We found her first because we looked at old records of previous missionaries and stumbled upon her phone number. We called her and visited, she said she has just been thinking about the missionaries that had came to her door a year ago to sing Christmas carols. And we just so happened to call to two days after she was thinking of those missionaries. The Lord really does guide us in His work. She feels like she needs more time to prepare for baptism, but is excited to work towards it. She is quiet while Laercio is a real talker, so naturally I like her because I feel for her,she is kind of the underdog in the whole situation. I sit next to her in Church and during the baptism and talk a bit with her (in my broken Portuguese). It is incredible how you can just love people so much that you can´t even talk to really.

 

There have been quite a few people here that I feel this deep responsibility for. Well really I feel a responsibility for everyone here, but there are just certain people that have a tender place in my heart. The hard thing about being a missionary is that sometimes the people you really connect with, or feel that you really need to nurture, end up being the ones that close their hearts and don´t accept the Gospel. The ones that we have to tell them that we love them and that Heavenly Father loves them, but that we have to teach other people that are waiting to find the Gospel and are ready to make changes to bring the fullness of blessings. It is difficult. I can think of a few people that I miss teaching. An old woman that lives in our building Augusta, our friend Marco, Luis from my first transfer here.... The list goes on. As missionaries we invite people to come unto Christ by helping them received the restored Gospel, and we invite people to make changes, to learn of Him, to pray to know the truth of all of these things. We do all we can to help them see, but people have to make the choice to act for themselves. It is the blessing of our free agency. I know that one day those that we love here in Oeiras, that we have taught and helped, will remember and when it is their time, their hearts will be softened and they will accept the glorious plan that our Heavenly Father has given us.

 

In other news. Today we have transfers. Where will I serve next you ask? 

 

I will..... STAY IN OEIRAS!! 

 

There is still work to do here in Oeiras for irma De Almeida and me. The season will start to change, and people will return from vacation. We have some families that we are teaching and areas that we have yet to work in. So I will be at the same address for the next 6 weeks. And always send packages to the mission office. Unless they are smallish...

 

Oeiras is beautiful and we have an incredible ward. I still have a lot to learn from irma De Almeida and this area. It will be weird to think that after this transfer I will have lived in this apartment longer than most places since I graduated from High school. Who would have thought, my mission would keep me sound permanent haahhah. Maybe that is the lesson I need to learn.

 

Ok also, letters are really great to receive....

 

Irma McCrery

Rua Porto Alegre

N 2 5 RECT

2870-030 Oeiras

Portugal

 

Also can someone send me church cd´s? Mormon Tabernacle and what not?

 

This email was kind of random and I feel like I´m forgetting something....

 

Oh also can anyone find Lyndsi Vela´s address for me????

 

Also you should Google Earth Oeiras. neat.

 

Love you all

 

ate ja

Sister Liz.