I don´t have much time to write today, and I can´t actually think of much to write about! This week was just another week of work, and it went really well this week. We taught a lot of lessons, found some new people, and worked with some different menos-ativos também. We had an event with the Stake where leaders came together one night to do divisions to make visits. It was really good, except that only 2 people from our ward came! Que vergonha! But still, a lot of good work was done.

On Sunday the other ward that shares our capela had a baptism after church, and we attended with a pesquisador. Every baptism is so special! Baptism truly is the gate to the pathway of eternal life (i love 2 Néfi 31!) and it is always a miracle to watch someone pass through that gate. We have a pesquisador that will be baptized this Saturday, and it is so amazing to see the excitement that he has in embracing the Book of Mormon and o evangelho. Truly we are so blessed to be have this knowledge and to make this covenant.

I am out of time, but I love you all! Hope this week is awesome

This week was interesting, and contained many surprises! On Monday, our p-day, Irmã Howard and I made a cake for a member that we work with a lot (it was her birthday). We went over to her house and had dinner with her. Lídia is from Cabo Verde, and cooks really well! She made a sweet curry that had apples in it...yum! It was good to get to spend the time with her, because she is amazing and works with us multiples times a week, so we were happy to get to help her celebrate her birthday.

On Tuesday we had a surpise Zone Conference! We found out at 11h in the morning that we had a conference in Setúbal, and needed to arrive ASAP. So we traveled by metro e high-speed trains to get there. The meeting was good, but it took up our whole day (we returned to Almada at 20h), which was sad to miss the time and lessons that we had planned. But, we learned more about diligencia and obediencia. It´s interesting (at least it was to me) that we can go along thinking that we´re doing a good job, but when you take the time to step back and evaluate, you see all the things that you need to improve! So, I was grateful that I had the chance to re-evaluate my work and habits and to see what needs to chance. Every day is about changing and improving! There are Always things that we need to change, but that is the great news about repentance- that we CAN! I was thinking about repentance yesterday, and how sometimes we (at least I) have the impression of repentance as a thing of condemnation (you need to repent!). But really, repentance is all about having a change of heart, and this changes our minds and perspectives of how we view everything- God, ourselves, the world and people around us. Repentance is more than just stopping from doing bad things, but changing and filling our lives with good things and habits that help us to become more like Heavenly Father! Sorry if I went off a bit, but really repentance is such an amazing gift that we have been given.

More surprises came this week...on Wednesday we received a call from President Torgan and he told Irmã Howard ´´O Senhor está a mandar-te ás Açores´´, in other words, my companion was transferred to the Açores Islands! Some irmãs went home in the middle of transfers, so things got mixed up a bit and now I have a new companion! Irmã Holtzclaw arrived on Thursday, and she is muito fixe. She has 6 weeks left in the mission, and she is determined to make the most of the time she has, so I´m really excited to work with her. She is my 5th companion already! And for sure I´ll have a new companion next transfer because she will leave in the middle. So there are always changes here, but life is good and the work continues! It has been rainy and I´ve been a little sick, but nothing can stop the work of the Lord! We just need to seek His will and follow His guidance, and everything will work out to the best.

Last p-day was a BEAUTIFUL day here; the sun was shining with a clear blue sky...amazing. My companion and I decided to take advantage of the first pday of the month and go visit a castle in Palmelo. We took the metro, then a highspeed train through the countryside (it was so nice to see lots of grass and open spaces! Although I like it in Almada, I am not a city person). There is a bus that goes up to the castle, but we didn´t know the schedule, and since it was such a beautiful day we decided to walk to the castle. We didn´t really know the way, but it was at the top of a hill that we could see, so how hard could it be? Well...we ended up taking the scenic route walking there and it took about an hour to arrive! But, it was so nice to walk around and see the area that is was totally worth it and really neat. Portugal is a beautiful country! The castle was really neat as well, but the best part was the view...you could see for a long ways to the ocean on one side, and the cities on the other side. It was really neat to see some of the history of Portugal.

The week since we basically didn´t have any progressing investigators, we did lots of procura! And we found lots of people. We decided that we need to search diligently to find families, becuase families are what will help the ward here the most. And yesterday we found three potential families that I am really excited about! We just need to teach more lessons, find more people, and help them to progress! (just this!) But really, I´m grateful for the opportunity to be here and to be doing this work.

This weekend we had stake conference, and the sunday session was actually a broadcast from Salt Lake just for Spain and Protugal. Margaret Lifferth, a couple from the Seventies, and Elder Russell M. Nelson spoke, and it was really good! It´s amazing that they did a whole broadcast just for the two countries here. Elder Nelson spoke a lot about youth, and how they are the future of the church. He addressed the things that we should be teaching and doing with our children. One thing that he emphasized was Family Home Evening. He said to be consistent, flexible, and involve everyone in the process. I whole-heartedly agree, and I am so thankful for Family Home Evening! I know that our families will be more unified and have more love if we take the time to spend time together, and talk about the things that are of the most importance to us- the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Also in his talk, Elder Nelson referenced 3 Néfi 27:27, where Christ asks what manner of men we ought to be- even as He is. This gospel is not just about learning the teachings of Christ, but applying them in our lives and changing who we are to become more like Him. This is something that sometimes people we teach don´t understand right away- we aren´t here just to teach them about Jesus Christ, but to help them APPLY and live the gospel, becuase it is only when we do this that we change and see the blessings of the gospel in our lives. Faith requires action! And when we act on our faith, we will change, grow, and improve in ways that we didn´t know were possible! I know that the atonement of Christ has the power to change our lives. In Stake Conference this weekend, I saw Nicolau (who was baptized last week), sitting in the chapel with a white shirt and tie, waiting to begin, and I was so happy! The gospel has already changed his life, and it is because he is willing to learn and do...seeing those changes in others, and ourselves is so fulfilling, because this gospel is about change, transformation, and progression.

Anyways, I hope that you all have a great week! Remember that I love you, and have family home evening tonight! I know that whatever your situation may be, if you take the time to study the gospel with those around you, you will be blessed with more love and a stronger testimony of the restored gospel!!! :D

Wow, it is February already! Crazy how time flies...
This week was good; on Saturday we had a baptism of Nicolau, who is truly a miracle. About three weeks ago on a Sunday morning he called the missionaries and needed help to find the chapel. They started teaching him about the gospel, and last week we invited him to be baptized. He was baptized and confirmed this weekend, and it was really awesome. I love teaching him and people like him, becuase although they don´t understand or know everything, they are willing and eager to learn. This is the characteristic that is most important- to be teachable and have a desire to learn, change, and grow.
His baptism was really exciting, but also a little sad because when he became a member that meant that we don´t have any pesquisadors that are progressing...we have a lot of finding to do. Last transfer was a white wash here with two new sisters, and not much work was done before they arrived. So essentially we are starting from scratch. It is hard, but I am trying to learn from this experience, especially how to be guided by the spirit. I know that there are people here that are prepared to accept the gospel, but we just can´t find them! But the Lord knows who and where they are, so we just have to trust in Him.
On the metro this week we ran into the same man and talked to him both times- he is probably in his fifties, has had a hard life, and is not happy but wants to be. We talked to him about the gospel and the atonement, and that he could find happiness through Christ. He said ´but I´m not happy now´and I basically told him that he wasn´t happy because he lacks the principles of the gospel and he needs to have faith in christ, repent, be baptized and receive the gift of the holy ghost, and only then will he find true happiness. I was probably the most bold and direct that I´ve ever been, but it was powerful because I felt the spirit speaking through me and he needed to know! I just wish that I could speak that way with everyone....still learning.
Today we are planning to go visit a castle, because we can only leave our area on the first pday of every month. I´m excited to see some history and I´ll send pictures next week!
Sorry if it is hard to understand when I use words in Portugues; I speak only Portuguese with my companion, and so I think of these things in Portugues. Yesterday a irmã who finished her mission stopped by with her family, and it was really weird to speak english with them! To be honest, it is kind of my goal to forget english :P Vamos ver.