Feliz Páscoa

Happy Easter!

As we celebrated Easter yesterday, I am so grateful that our Savior sacrificed everything of Himself so that we can gain eternal life! Here in the mission, i am learning a few things, well a lot, but until now I have only identified a few. One of them is my understanding of the Savior, and His Sacrifice. I have always had a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have always known that it is a good thing to follow the Savior. But, now i am only beginning to understand a very very small portion of what the word sacrifice means. When i came on my mission, I did so willingly. I knew that i would leave my family and friends, and studies, and everything in my life. I was okay with leaving those things behind, and was excited to focus wholy in the work of the Lord. I just didn´t understand the kinds of sacrifices that people make every day to live the gospel, to apply the teachings of Jesus into my daily life. Here on the mission, we have the opportunity to apply the teachings of the gospel, the most basic principles and ordinances of the gospel into the lives of the people wohm we serve.

This is just a small portion of what I am beginning to learn. I am grateful for this opportunity to be here and serve the people of Portugal. I guess you can say, this is a moment of reflection that i am taking to look at where I am and where I want to go.

We have transfers this week, and yesterday Irmã Torgan called us and informed us that Irmã Graf and I will be transfered out of Almada. I have been here since I started in Portugal and I am excited for a new adventure. It was a little strange to say good bye to Mario, Brazia, and the family Santos, but they are in good hands. Irmã Reis and Irmã Egbert will stay here in Almada and it will become one area again like it was before I arrived.

Irmã Graf and I will be white washing the area of Linda Velha!!! It is close to Lisbon, in the Oeris Zone. I heard that it is the home ward of President Torgan!!!! (Russell, like your area of Altona :)

I am so excited for this adventure that is ahead! It is irmã Graf´s last transfer in the mission, so we will work really hard together, and find those people that are ready for us!!

I love you all!

Have a great week and remember who you are!!

Com Amor,

Irmã Michael

Redeemer of Israel

I Love that Song!

Okay, so this will be short, but this week we worked a lot to find new investigators, and also to help Debora realize that she is ready to be baptized. We have been working with her a lot since i arrived, but still she doesnt feel ready. Really, it is because her dad is a really really less active, and she is afraid that one day she will be inactive too. We reminded her that if she is always doing the little things, the simple things, church, scripture study, prayer, continuing ot strengthen our testimonies, we will never be inactive!

The miracles here in Almada are incredible!! Our ward is still struggling, but those who help are doing great. I had the thought this week that i wish that my family could just move here to help this ward. THe wards are different here than in America, the church is still young here, and thus the foundation is not as strong. In the little things of organization, it is different, but the principles of the gospel are the same. Everything is founded on Christ, and that is the most important part. Press forward with steadfast faith in Christ, and a love of God and of all men!

Christ is the head of this church! Keep moving forward!

THis morning we had a zone breakfast with the casal Lund - american breakfast :) with our whole zone! THis missionary work is incredible!! THe missionaries here are incredible!

I love my companion so much! She helps me laugh every day!

Love to you all!!

Have a great week!!!

-Irma Michael

PS dad great job on your run!!! THat is incredible that you ran along the beach, i remember when you were talking about doing this run and finally did it! Have fun in Washington with the family! hi to you all!!

PS PS Happy Easter!!!!

BOM DIA

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BOM DIA!!!!!

Eu amo vocês!!!!! Obrigada por tudo que vocês fazem para ajudar-me!!! O evangelho de Jesus Cristo está aqui na terra! o Livro de Mórmon contém a palavra de Deus!

This week was like a rollar coaster!! I remeber before my mission so many people said a mission has the highest highs and the loewst lows. Bem vindo!! É verdade!! :)

So, about the woman Maria José who was baptized last saturday... she kinda went crazy... we still don´t really know why or how it happened but she basically doesn´t want anything to do with the church anymore... we went to her house with her daughter Rute, and she didn´t even want to talk to her. Well, we will keep praying fo rher, but there is no more that we can do.

On the other hand, the three that were baptized on Sunday received the dom do Espirito Santo yesterday and they were all happy! :)

There is one more photo with Mario!!!

Remember Mario, from a while ago?? We have been teaching him since before i arived in Portugal, and it has been a rollar coaster with him alone, but you know how at the end of the rollar coaster you enjoyed the ride and want to go again... well, he was baptized!!!!!!! And that feeling is way better than the simple satisfaction of reaching the end of a ride. Seriously, the baptism of Mario was INCREDIBLE!!! And even more, it was the frist baptism where tudo correu bem (everything went well) basically stress free! Oh, except for the part that he has cysts on his foot and was having them cut off this week, so we had to plastic wrap his foot then tape it (too bad we didnt have duct tape :) ) but after we wrapped it, it worked out!!! YAY!!!!

That was our miraslce of the week. It all started with a blessing that Mario received a while back. He has a lot of problems with health, and we told him that he could receive a blessing, and he accepted. Yesterday in church, he bore his testimony about how that blessing was one of the reasons that he chose to be baptized. He said that he didn´´t see any change in his health at all as a result of the blessing. But, he did notice that he became more patient as a result. Warly on when we taught him, he made comments about how he is not a patient person. But when he shared this, he said he realized that only through the power of God, or the priesthood, could God bless him with the gift of patience. He is an incredible man, so humble, and he really was searching for the truth for a long time and he has found it. His example of searching out for the truth, is incredible! Also, when we asked him if he wanted to invite anyone, he said only his daughter, but that she would probably not come, beacuse she is active in another religion. We gave her info to the elders who work in the area of the church, which is where she lives, (right in front of the church) but they didnt get a hold of her. But, as we were taking pictures right before the baptism, she and her son showed up!!! It was so neat to see the face of Mario in taht moment! it meant a lot to him for her to be there to show support! It was so amazing!!!!!

That was definitely the highlight of the week!

Sunday was so great because we had three people receive the Holy Ghost, and two babies were blessed! It was so sweet!! :)

Yay! I love being a missionary! Things liek this make it all worth it!

This transfer is flying by super super rapido! I am learning so much, and a huge thing i am learning is humility, and trust in the Lord! It is a challenge every day, but i am so grateful to be here!

i love you all! Remember who you are!

Good luck with finals soon!!

love,

Irmã Michael

Irmá Reis and Irmá Michael

OLA

Olá!!

It was an amazing week! Maria José was baptized on Saturday before conference started! and then on Sunday ~3 people were baptized!!

First about Maria José. She is the mom of Rute who is married to Antonio, the man who baptized her in the photo. Rute was baptized back in August, and we have taught her family a few times since i arrived. the first day of this transfer we were on our way back to our area from lisboa and we recieved a phone call from Antoino. I answered but didn´t understand everything that he said-. I thought he needed help moving or something... when we arrived, it turns out he just was calling to tell us to meet with his mother-in-law (maria Jose) and Rute. Maria Jose finally wanted to hear about the gospel! the story behind it- she used to hate the church and the missionaries, but then she lost her job, andrealized how lonely she was and she wanted to change her life~. it has been incredible to teach her and see her life change through the Atonement of Jesus Christ!

The first week Irmã Reis and I were together, we prayed where we should knock doors. then we found this predio(building) with three families!! it is our ´eleito` building! So, Deizy, 15 years old, we invited her to be baptized for this weekend and she accepted without hesitation. We later asked her why she accepted and she said said because she thought it would be good for her! YES!!! She and two others were baptized!!

The two men... one is João Baptista who has been to church tons an dhe is ready for baptism but always was afraid to make the step... The miracle is... last sunday this man showed up in our sacrament meeting, and me and Irma Graf talked to him after the meeting. he said he had never been before, just that he felt he needed a change in his life, and he felt he should come here. He lives really close to the church. Super ready for the gospel!!! But he lives in the elder´s area so we received his information and gave ti to the elders. We felt impressed to give him a book of mormon right before he left.

We foud out later in the week that he acepted baptism and is so amazing!! he loved reading the book of mormon and was applying everything to his life! The Lord is always preparing people for baptism!

This work is incredible!

I loved conference! This church is true!

love you all!

we´re going to the beach again today!

love,

Irmã Michael!!!!! :)

Pday in Portugal

Missionaries in Portugal

Irmas in Portugal

This week in Portugal

okay so this past week...
well i have been doing some reflecting with Irma Reis, first of all she is incredible! she teaches so strongly with the spirit and applies the gospel so well in the lives of everyone we talk to! it is humbling too because i dont understand everything that she says, i have so much i need to learn with this language, but i am so excited to be serving with her because i am learning so much!
this past week we were in Lisboa because she had to do some stuff with her visa because she is not apermanent resident of Portugal (or something like that) we spent the whole day in the Loja de Cidade while our whole zone had zone conference. We were really sad to miss conference but we looked for other things that Heavenly Father was trying to teach us from our experiences.
As part of our studies, our whole mission is reading the New Testament and it is such a great experience to read about the life of the Savior and apply the way He taught to our teachings.

Blessings

It is so interesting how much of a blessing it is to hear from you all, seriously the words you say are what help me get through every week. i wrote a snail mail letter last week it should get there soon. and today i hopefully will send the package i have been preparing to send. i still dont have pictures but i will try to send some soon...
so about the story you told in your talk - i shared it with irma reis and we have shared it with multiple investigators in two ways, one how just one drop of sin will destroy our lives, (we shared this with ana who was recently baptized but continues to smoke... its so sad that she is still doing this. mom we have tried so many times to help her, its just that she wont do it...) we also shared with another investigator in the way opposite, that we have to start with the little things, drop by drop in order to gain a testimony. thank you for sharing it with me!!!
eu amo te!!
Irma Michael