Shout-out to Sister Cordner 😘

HI!!!!!! 

To start us off!!

Happy anniversary to my parents who I love so much!!!  and Happy (one day early) birthday to Mallory!!  I love you all and am celebrating over here in Portugal!

Portugal Fun Facts that I never said before because I was too busy being sad:

- Everyone in the whole world is Catholic it turns out! They worship (or pray to? I should probably know this lol) Fatima here in Portugal so they have her picture everywhere. and I've had many many people explain her story to me but it is yet to stick so one day I'll learn it and get back to you. 

- Something that definitely shocked me about the culture, is that on streets people really aren't that friendly! Haha ok once you get to know someone they're awesome and very kind. But most of the time when we ask for someone's name they respond by saying "why?" So that's awesome. 

- Whenever you ask how are you? Almost everyone responds with "Tudo bem, graças a Deus." Which at first I thought was cute, but now have mixed feelings about it after hearing it in many circumstances haha. 

- When we ring peoples apartments instead of answering the call, they stick their head out the window and yell "Quem è??" And we have yell up 8 stories to them and we are yet to be successful so pray for us.

- Because everyone's up late, we proselyte later and get to wake up a little later. A blessing and a curse. I love to see the alarm clock say 7 when I get up!! But definitely has been an adjustment having my busiest hours being so late in the day. 

-Went to Continent (a store) for the first time and oh my gosh. I didn't believe Portugal was a first world country until I walked into this store. It has everything I dreampt about when I lived in Brazil. So many American brands!!! And chocolate!!! Bless 

- Elevators don't have doors. So we stand in this tiny elevator and go up and get to watch all the doors go by and it makes me sooo dizzy for some reason. If I ever get stuck in one of those 

The weeks are starting to pick up speed!! This week was a little rough tho because we ended up dropping a lot of our friends who once had been progressing a lot. Sad to drop them, but also if they're not willing to meet and progress, we need to spend our time talking to the people who are ready to hear the gospel, and I know God will provide a way and time for them. Also, everyone has been on vacation so I felt like we had a lot less lessons this week than normal which is stinky. But! we've stayed busy and I've seen so many miracles. 

Sunday this week, was one of the best days I've had on the mission yet!! Which is funny because I had to give a talk in Sacrament meeting, but the two are not related at all trust me. I realized that it's actually pure evil they made me give a talk really when I've been here 3 weeks, but it's all good! Good practice! I've been practicing my Portuguese accent, but as soon as I got up there, I defaulted to my American/Brazilian accent and spoke sooo fast on accident. Mas tudo bem. Blanchard came back to church! And stayed for 2nd hour! AND stayed for a lesson after church!!! Earlier this week we talked about baptism with him, and on Sunday he committed to being baptized September 3rd!!! I'm so happy for him!!!!!!!! His baptism might end up being a little bit later than that date, but I hope I'll be able to see it!!! That was a miracle. And then this random guy came to church!! Didn't have any friends there, he just wanted to learn more, and I caught him crying during sacrament meeting. Another miracle. And then we went to this huge park on the very outside of our area for a lesson. We got there and our friend was nowhere to be seen. BUT! This guy came up to us, pointing to our Livro de Mórmon, and asked in English if we had an English copy that he could have. YES! He literally just walked (ok, scootered) right up to us. We have a lesson this week with him and two of his friends. That was a miracle. I see miracles like this everyday, and that is the coolest thing in the whole world. 

Monday we had zone conference!!! Sorry that's why my pday is today. It was sooo awesome oh my gosh. And I also had my interview with President and I literally cannot express enough how awesome he and Sister Barcellos are. They are so inspired and everything he said was exactly what I needed to hear. I can feel the love they have for every missionary and it's overwhelming. I'm absolutely so blessed to have them as my mission leaders!!!! Also!! I was able to get my mail and it was literally Christmas it was the best day ever. My mom sent me so many packages!!! She sent me things from Amazon Spain and Amazon France and Amazon Germany and Amazon UK  I'm so blessed I love my mom. 

Last night we started a fast as a district for our friends, and we're going to break it after we go to the temple!! I'm so excited to go to the temple!!! I'm so blessed to be so close. We're headed there in a few minutes. 

I feel like every week, even every day, there's a new challenge I face, but also!! A new opportunity to strengthen my testimony and learn something. Which has been so cool (and hard ha) because I'm starting to understand how I can be grateful for my hardships. I've been struggling with lots of feelings of inadequacy and feeling like I'm not doing enough to help our friends. Last Wednesday, was not my most favoritest day in the whole world. I was sitting on the bus feeling terrible about my efforts, feeling like I should be doing something more to help our friends (not to mention, also wanting to throw up because it was so hot and I was forced to face the wrong direction and I still had not recovered from a huge member meal lol), and suddenly, these thoughts came to mind. "Just do your best today. Today's best is not the same as yesterday's best or tomorrow's best. And that's okay! Do what you can today and it'll all be okay. The Lord loves effort." These words were soooo comforting and I didn't realize until later that this was the Spirit comforting me. D&C 123:17 says, "Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed." I'm learning that my efforts are enough!!!! and I just need to be patient! Elder Neal A. Maxwell said that "Sometimes that which we are doing is correct enough but simply needs to be persisted in patiently, not for a minute or a moment but sometimes for years." God has a purpose in all things, and His plan and time-line are perfect. Even if things take years, I know that His ways are higher than my ways! I love love love this definition of patience also from Elder Maxwell, "Patience is a willingness, in a sense, to watch the unfolding purposes of God with a sense of wonder and awe, rather than pacing up and down the cell of our circumstance." I am so good at pacing up and down my cell, stressing about needing results, but that will only bring me continued frustration with myself and my efforts. This is the Lord's work! And I get a front row seat to His miracles both in the lives of those we're teaching and my own, if I only am patient and aware enough to see them. 

 Sister Menden

Pics!

1. Fatima

2. The most amazing donuts I've ever had in my entire life I'm not kidding.

3. Hitting the town

4. Sleepover!! with Sister Keysor!!! 

5. I love pants

6. Best package in the WHOLE WORLD 

7. A member invited our whole district over for lunch last pday! So tender!

8. All the greenies got together for a mental health seminary thingy which was way cool!! Except the mission mental health counselor didn't show up haha. Me and Sister Cordner tho  

9. Bater portas 

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