HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN

HAPPY HAPPY HALLOWEEN

We are making sugar cookies today, Irma Brown’s family sent some sprinkles so we are gonna make them for the bishopric and some members!!

Just a side note... Irmã Brown and I decided to run during the day today, so we ran here to the internet place and on the way we saw Antonio, who was baptized last week! And then as we entered the internet place we saw a lady we had contacted on Saturday!!  Things like this happen every day, the simple miracles that make al the difference!  I will continue to talk about these little miracles that have happened during this past week!

Well we have been working with the family of Emanuel and just to tell a little about them... Elma (15) and Palmira (9) were baptized a couple weeks before i got here, then when i arrived we started working with Emanuel. He was baptized last Sunday and yesterday received the Holy Ghost!  It was so great! His wife, Elsa, came to church last week, she wasn’t going to come, but at the last second she came!! Then, this Sunday we weren’t sure if Elsa would go to church again, but when we arrived at their house 15 minutes before church (they live really close) she was all ready, and so was most of the family. Dino, (20) Emanuel´s son, was still in bed, but he had told us the day before that he would go.  We knocked on his door, and he said, "ja vou" basically I will go right now, (but after)... :) ... so we left and walked to church with the family! It is such a great feeling to walk together with a family to church!!!!  And just as we were singing the opening hymn, Dino walked in!!! It was so awesome!!!

So here are some highlights of the week:

João - we were standing on the corner of a street Saturday night, we didn’t know why. We both felt we needed to be there. But I was getting anxious and wanted to leave. Irmã Brown, said just wait, the person is coming, so we waited probably a few minutes, we tried to talk to someone but they didn’t want to. Finally, this man was passing, and Irmã Brown just said olá boa noite, and he stopped and told us that he is a member. We then had a 30 minute conversation with him, about his life and basically what is going on now. He hasn’t been to church in probably 10 years. The last time the elders passed by was a year ago, and since then, he has seen missionaries, but they never approached him and he never felt like talking to them, until we approached him.  It was a "wow" experience!!  He explained that right now he is separated from his wife, and he is really passing difficulties. He has a daughter who is 7. He really is struggling a lot right now.  Irma Brown and I both just felt so much love for him! We are going got pass by this week with members, he knows the bishop and others. He was part of the other ward and just moved to our area.  Saturday morning I prayed, asking Heavenly Father to help me be an answer to someone’s prayer, and I know that that was the experience I needed to have, and Moreso, that João needed. He didn’t want to go to church yet, but we will keep working with him!!

Dino - basically, he is so awesome!! He is searching for the true church, and as he observes what is happening in his family, he also has the desire to be baptized!!!  He will be baptized this week, please pray for him!

Bolo João - every Sunday night we go with the elders who are also in our ward, to this member’s house. He makes the same cake every Sunday night and we have ot go there and eat it or else, well I don’t know what would happen, it is just a funny tradition that has been going on in this area for months.  Also, we eat dinner at the members houses here!  It has been a while, so it is great to get to know the members in their homes.  

EFY musical it was great 

Rita last week well I’ll write about her after...

Linda-A-Velha Guess what happened there?... cool things.. I don’t know if I wrote about it but have been meaning too.  First, Daniela was a reference that Irma Graf and i received, but never could get a hold of her. then we received ti again when i was at the end of the transfer with Irma Speigle, and finally contacted here with Irma Young. My last Sunday there in Linda A Velha we marked her for baptism the following week, and she was baptized!!  Then the next day, Monday, my last day in LAV we marked Clementino to be baptized the following weekend, and George Gouveia baptized him!!! (George was baptized when I was there!)  This was such great news to hear!  Then last transfer in Porto, Irmã Young called and told me that BRUNO VINHAIS was baptized!!!  That same day, NINO was baptized!!!!  Remeber them??  Bruno was living with a member and couldn’t be baptized, (this was when I was with Irmã Speigle) we worked so hard to help him, but it never worked out, but finally he moved back to his parent’s house and was baptized!!! that made me so happy to hear!!  Then, remember Nino?  Well, Irma Young and I were working with him a lot, but he just wasn’t ready, but he finally made the decision to keep the law of chastity and was baptized at the beginning of October (same day as Maria de lurdes, my last weekend in Porto) 

So, after hearing this great news after a few weeks, I began to realize that really no effort is wasted!  This week, Irmã Reis and Irma Young called a few times to ask about information on some other investigators with whom they are now working, that I and my other comps had worked. This was a great reminder that why I am here doing this work each day. Everyone needs the restored gospel; but everything starts with one act.  

So many times, I have forgotten the "why" during my mission. This past week I was reflecting a bit more of why we do all this. And really, it is because of the infinite love that the Savior has for each of us!  He wants us all to have access to His love. Through His grace and mercy, we all will overcome physical death. Because He chose to suffer all things for all of mankind, we have the opportunity to overcome, our small and great weaknesses, and we don’t have to suffer if we would repent. My comp and I were talking about repentance how many times we think repentance is a scary thing or something bad that we do. But really, we all should have the desire to repent many times every day. Because we are all imperfect, and we all know that. It is through Christ that we can overcome our imperfections, and repentance really is a beautiful thing. It is gaining access to the atonement.  He doesn’t ask us to be perfect, He just asks us to do our best.  And doing our best includes serving others and basically just living the gospel. I as a missionary am no different than the rest of the world. My assignment from Heavenly Father right now is to invite others to come unto Christ through baptism. It is the only time in my life that this will be my whole focus. 24-7, contacting, testifying, promising blessings, studying, receiving revelation for how to help others, discerning their needs, praying, serving, ... all of these things are just living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Eu sou grata pelo oportuniade a servir meu salvador durante este tempo. Finalmente, estou a começar entender porque... porque estou aqui, porque é que Jesus Cristo sofreu tanto por cada um de nos.  Sou grata pelo evangelho em minha vida e que agora estou aqui em Portugal para pregar arrependimento para que os filhos de Pai Celestial possam desfrutar as bençãos que Ele tem preparados por todos.  Sei que o Livro de Mórmon é verdideiro. Ele contém todos os principios e doutrinas necessárias para nossa salvação.  Sei que Josef Smith foi um profeta, chamado por Deus a restaurar Sua igreja aqui na Terra. Sei que através arrepindimento, nós podemos ser limpos de nossos pecados. Só por meio do batismo nós podemos ser salvos. Sei que as famílias possam ser eternas. Sou grata pela minha família e que nós somos uma família eterna.  Amo a minha família com todo meu coração.

Tenham uma boa semana!!!  E muitas milagres!!!

Com amor,

Irmã Michael 

 guinea Bissau 

Nino, Bruno, Clemintino- George baptized him!!!!, Daniela, baptisms!!!!!!  Irmã Reis and Irmã Young are still serving together this transfer and they called about some investigators they are working with that I had worked with each of my companions! It is just so cool to see how this is how it works!