OLA FAMILIA E AMIGOS!!!

Ola lovely familia e amigos!!!!!!

I love being here!! (just in case you couldnt tell from my other letters:) ) Okay this past week was way faster than the week before! It always goes faster when we have people to teach and when our lessons go well!!

This week i want to tell you about different parts of being a missionary:

First, the language. I feel much more comfortable with understanding what is going on, and I definitely am thinking a lot in portuguese. Our Mission President said when we arrived that there is a rule about the language: inside your house you may speak english, but as soon as you walk out the door, it's all portuguese! That has been a big help, because sometimes there are things that i dont know how to say in portuguese, so i can ask about them at home.

Investigators: it is so amazing to watch the Spirit work as we teach people. I want to tell you about some of our investigators. Mario is a portuguese man in his 60s who just showed up at the church building one sunday before i got here. The other irmas taught him a couple times, but i have been teaching him with irma greco ever since i got here. He has lots of interesting ideas, and i mean `out there´... he has searched tons of different religions but has never found the whole truth...hmmm. As we have met with him weekly, we have been able to teach some of the lessons, and he comes to church every week. we invited him to be baptized last week but he was really hesitent, he doesnt want to pray to gain a testimony. we keep telling him that he needs to pray about the book of mormon and joseph smith in order to gain a testimony, and understand that the authority of God has been restored. Saturday we met with him again, this time, we had prepared scriptures to help him understand the importance of reading the book of mormon. we decided to read Jacob 4 with him and had him read it. Towards the end, he paused, and couldnt finish, so irma greco finished reading the final verses. We asked him how he felt when reading and he said he thought that those words were for him. It was a powerful experience for me because we had prayerfully chosen this chapter to give him to read, and the spirit testified to him of the truth of those words. Yesterday at church i asked him how his prayer went (about asking God if the book of mormon is true) and he was still hesitent. He said he is afraid that God doesnt listen to him. We are meeting with him again this week, but I know that he is getting closer to understanding the truths of the gospel. I know that one day, hopefully soon the light will click and he will have the desire to be baptized :)

Brazia is 13 and a neighbor of a member. (yay member missionary work!) We started teaching her and her mom the week i arrived in Almada, and they both loved learning about the church. But them the mom didnt want to listen anymore but she allowed Brazia to continue. So we have continued to teach her. Vitoria is a member who is a neighbor of Brazia and goes tot he same school. she has come to some of our lessons with brazia and brazia was at church yesterday! Vitoria invited Brazia to go to seminary with her so she went this morning!! YAY!!! The help of the members is marvelous!! Also brazia wants to get baptized but right now her mom wont let her. But she said that when Brazia feels ready, she can get baptized. We are going to work with Brazia a lot this week so she will feel ready and hopefully be baptized this month!!

Roberto is golden!!! WE met him on the metro a few weeks ago, but it was difficult to meet with him until this week. We met with him at a cafe and taught the first lesson. His brother was baptized years ago, but has fallen away, and Roberto has been to church a really long time ago. We had planned to meet with him again, and it was at his friend Paula´s house. It turns out that Paula´s brother was baptized years ago too, and she showed us the book of mormon/d&c that she has and theres a picture of the missionareis that baptized her brother! anyway, so we taught roberto and paula about OLA orar, ler as escrituras e assistir igrega (im sure you can figure that out, mostly... the first is prayer, read scriptures, and go to church) At the end of the lesson we invited Roberto to be baptized and he accepted!! He really could feel the power of the Holy Ghost as we talked with him. He has a lot of trials in his life and he really wants to find peace, and begin anew. HE will be baptized sunday the 23rd!!

Fransisco lives with Alexandra who is a member and is the mom of Vitoria (girl above) they are not married and have lived together for years. lots of missionaries have worked with them and we were at their house saturday night to teach the commandments as a game of memory (Brazia was there so we taught her too). We received a phone call today that they are getting married friday! and he will be baptized saturday!! YAY!!!

Ronaldo and Marly are a brazilian couple who are not married either. They will hopefully be getting married soon so they can get baptized too!!

Anyway, those are some of the people we are teaching! It is so amazing to work with the Holy Ghost to teach people. I love learning about peoples lives and applying the principles of the gospel to them, because the gospel is for everyone!! This work is so amazing and i am so grateful to be here right now serving the people of Portugal! My understanding of the gospel and of the Savior have changed so much and i am so grateful for the foundation i have in the gospel! With God all things are possible! The gospel blesses families and everyone!

I know that the Book of Mormon is a powerful tool and as we read it we can find answers to our questions and we can feel the peace of teh Holy Ghost.

Thank you for your love and your letters! Continue to remeber the Lord in all things!

I love you all!!

love,

Irmã Michael