Monday, August 16, 2010

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.

Monday, August 9, 2010

To One and All...

Hello everyone and everyall,
 
The work is so good. The time flies. I don´t have a ton of time to write today, but just know that Heavenly Father is oh so good. He knows it all. He loves us. He gave us a way to make it through every tough time, by sending Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ suffered here on earth to save us from the inevitable death we would face, through the whisperings of the spirit we can feel peace knowing that He Lives to guide us and comfort us in our journey back to our father in Heaven. What joy this sweet sentence gives, I Know that my Redeemer lives.
 
you know?
 
Sister Liz

Monday, August 2, 2010

30 degrees...

It is 30 graus, not degrees. That means it´s like 90ish degrees. We are basking in the sun everyday. How is the weather there?
 
Bil, Stepper WOO HOO! Moved! I loved picturing Wyatt running around the empty house being confused but happy nonetheless.
 
Ok this email will be scattered, that is a guarantee.
 
first and foremost... Leo was baptized yesterday!!!!!!!!!! WOOO HOOO! Let me just say that it was a miracle. I first met Leo with Irma Brinkerhoff. We met him on the street my very first day in Portugal. Irma Brinkerhoff stopped him on the street and started talking to him, when all of a sudden our cell phone rang and she had to answer it. She stepped away and there I was on my first day here, left to talk to this stranger in Portuguese (And remember he has no idea it is my very first day in the country). So I did what any missionary would do, I pretended like I was in the halls of the MTC and asked  ``Do you believe in God?`` he answered ``Yes of course!`` and then I said ``Do you believe in Jesus Christ?`` and he responded ``of course!`` and I said ``Our message is about Jesus Christ and how we can be happy...`` (something very simple like that). What seemed like 45 minutes later (really like 1 minute) Irma B returned to the conversation and finished up the conversation. We taught Leo, and knew he had a testimony of everything. Being guided by the Spirit we invited Leo to be baptized, he said yes, he would be baptized. But he ran. We invited him and after we invited him he did return our phone calls. Worst feeling ever. So we wrote him name down to try later in a few weeks...Well 2 Saturdays ago, I thought, who can we invite to church? We went through all of our contacts and invited everyone. I thought lets look at our old investigators... Boom. Leo. Ok lets call Leo and invite him. Long story short. We had a week of reteaching and friday night we invited him to be baptized again. This time his friends in the church were by his side. He said he didn´t know if he was ready, worthy to be baptized... and we assured him with all of the power that comes as a missionary that through baptism we are made clean and we are able to start anew, we get the chance to have the slate wiped clean and start from there trying everyday to stand as a witness of God and Jesus Christ by following the commandments and in return we are blessed beyond what he could imagine. finally we asked, Leo will you ask God right here and now if this is His will for you to be baptized on Sunday? he responded yes. So we knelt right there and he said the most tender prayer with a sincere heart and real intent, wanting to know the will of the Lord. When he finished he stood up. And responded with all confidence that he would be baptized on Sunday, that he felt a peace like he had never felt before in his life, and he knew it was his answer. The first person I talked to in Portugal, has received the Gospel and is well on his way to joy like he doesn't even know. What a blessing to see that. what is more amazing is that our recent convert of 2 weeks received the priesthood and was the one to perform the baptism.
 
Irma De Almeida and I say it all the time, we are nothing in this work. It is all Heavenly Father. He works miracles. He prepares people. We are merely instruments, weak little instruments.
 
OK in unrelated things....
 
Alex and Jordan are back from their missions, weird. I already miss having them out here by my side in europe.
 
Also where is Lyndsi Vela? Peru or Provo?
 
as far as extras in a package...maybe a recipe for chocolate chip cookies(with measurement conversions?), my Portuguese companion wants cookie dough. Maybe teriyaki chicken from Yummy teriyaki in Redmond, Wa... hahah but seriously... I can´t think of anything that I need.
 
love you gotta go!!!
 
sister liz