Pray for a fast recovery for Sister Cornell 🙏

Hi!!

I hit 5 months as a missionary yesterday!!  

Monday:

- We went to Sintra!!! And went to a castle!! It was sooo pretty. Portugal is so old and it's so cool. I can't believe I live here, an hour away from like 8 castles. 

- Happy to announce that I can officially kind of do that snap thing that every single missionary in the whole world can do. Baby's first snap 

- "Why does everyone hate the missionaries? We fast and we pray and they hate us." -Sister Cornell 

Tuesday:

- We were waiting at the chapel for our next lesson and we caught the less active member we were waiting for rolling his next blunt on temple grounds.

- Sister Cordner came over!!!! Going to zone conference together was so fun because we just got to hang all day 

Wednesday:

- Conferência de zona!! Elder Whiting was soooo amazing. Total I think he talked to us for maybe 4 hours without a single note and I was engaged and listening the entire time. I feel like he spoke on things I specifically really needed to hear. I'm gonna write more about this later. 

Thursday:

- We had a lesson and a lanche with the cutest little member in the whole world. She is a cute little old lady who cried showing us the picture of the Elders who baptized her 30 years ago. As she was speaking, I had a feeling to share the scripture Mosias 2:17 "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." And then as I was waiting to share, Sister Cornell spoke up and shared the same scripture. It's small things like this, that can be easily overlooked, but definitely is the guidance of the Spirit. I'm starting to be better at recognizing his voice in my thoughts and decisions and it is so cool!!! Elder Whiting said that one of the most important things for us to develop right now in preparation for our futures and families, is how to hear and heed the Spirit and having a better relationship with Him is definitely one of my goals. 

- We were on our way to a member dinner, and we heard the metro about to leave so me and Sister Cornell started running through the station and down the escalator and I'm so sorry to say that Sister Cornell ate it soooo hard. It really was not funny. She has the biggest bruises on her knees. But I can't not laugh sooo hard it just was not real. 

- Day number 4 wearing my retainer again I don't know why I do this to myself. How I feel about it: 

Friday:

- Blessed to have a comp who is willing to let me force her to run with me!! Hahaha

- Guys. I have so many great hairs this is serious. In college I had a few grey hairs ya whatever I wasn't super concerned. But now I have a million. Sister Cornell can testify and they are full on pure bred hairs. I'm gonna have to start dying my hair for grey's at the ripe old of age of 20. 

- We had dinner at a members house who actually is a counselor in the mission! While we waited for dinner the irmã asked if I wanted to play the piano and it was so nice I almost cried. It was so nice to sit there and play even for 10 minutes and not be stressed about who we're about to teach or not be stressed about using my lunch hour to play the piano. I felt so at home. 

Saturday: 

- We had a lesson with our friend Ali from Slovakia and a member!! It went soooo well. He accepted a pre-convite! We were walking out of the lesson and he had the biggest smile on his face and said just how happy our lessons make him. So pure. 

- We had a lesson with our friend Claudio and a member and it had a very different effect. We taught for maybe 20 minutes and then he shared with us how actually he was told by 3 different Prophets that he needed to move to Portugal to preach the gospel and then he told me specifically that the big accident I had in my past almost killed me but I made it through and soooo much more. It was the longest most draining lesson ever. By the end it was way too late and I was exhausted on every level and tears were close. Fortunately, on the way home we stopped by the gas station where we bought Guarana and fresh bread for a single euro to cure all of our problems. 

Sunday: 

- Since they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here, we've started singing Christmas music and it makes me soooo happy. 

- We had a lesson with a less active lady and her less active daughters and it was very cool. She's cancelled on us a million times and she always has had a million excuses but we finally caught her. We read a little of 3 Nefi 11 and watched the Book of Mormon video and by the end she was emotional. She texted us after thanking us and said we are always welcome to come back. So cool!! As we were teaching I threw a past subjunctive verb in there and Sister Cornell had the biggest smile on her face she was so proud it was so cute. 

Something Elder Whiting taught has been on my mind a lot this week!! He explained that statements like "I'll never be able to change." Or "I'll never learn Portuguese." Or "I'll never be good at my personal studies." Are all "Atonement denying statements." When he said that I had to take a step back. Because how often are my statements and questions "Atonement denying statements?" Way too often. 

While explaining grace, this is what the Bible Dictionary says: "It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means."

The Savior's Atonement isn't just for sinners (which we all are), but "is also for saints—for good men and women who are obedient, worthy, and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully." (Elder Bednar)

We can and need to use the Savior's Atonement and grace in our every day lives!! I need to stop making "Atonement denying statements" and know that the Savior's Atonement is available to me and will give me strength and assistance to do good work, just as the Bible dictionary says. 

Missionary work is so hard!!! But nothing is more rewarding!! 

 Sister Menden

Pics

1-6. Castelo dos Moors! Appreciate the other pretty castle just chilling in the background.

7-10. Zone conference!! Also a note from the APs which was so tender.

11. Rio Tejo!

12. Another pic of nossa senhora Fatima lol. I think it is just so funny. 

13. Sister Cornell finished every single activity in the purple portuguese book!!! Can you believe?? I made her a certificate of completion and of course we celebrated 

14. Sister São 

[Sydney was asked by a member of our stake to share her thoughts for this member to use in her Sac Mtg talk]

Hi Sister Stapley!!

I'd love to share my thoughts with you!! As a missionary, I have a greater and deeper understanding of love and compassion than I ever did before. Love and compassion are my main motivation every single day. 

I find it so cool that you asked about love and compassion, because I just studied compassion this week! I was reading in Mark 1:40-45, when Jesus healed the leper, and verse 41 says that Jesus, "moved with compassion." I thought that this was interesting, because the other accounts of this story in Matthew and Luke don't say anything about compassion! The definitions I found of compassion made me emotional:

1. A deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering.

2. The humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.

After reading those definitions, I don't think there is anyone that has ever lived that is more compassionate than our Savior. Never was there a greater act of compassion than the Savior's Atonement. As a missionary, called to be a representative of Jesus Christ, I try my best to love and show compassion in a way that He did and does. The Savior ministers to the one, and with His name written on my chest, I do my best to do the same. 

I hope this can help you in any way!!! 

Sister Menden