Working 9:30 to 9:30 what a way to make a living

 

Mais uma segunda-feira  

Things I'm very grateful for this week:

- Irmã Uda who feeds us like an army and then we have leftovers for the whole week.

- Dark chocolate toblerones 

- Yvens our recent convert just cuz  

- Being able to see the ocean from our apartment window. 

Sister Oliphant is insane and only likes flat soda. So she loves to pour a big glass of coke and leave it for later which I will never understand. She also has a burning hatred for BBQ sauce and teriyaki sauce and all things good. The other day, Sister Larson made a watered down teriyaki saucey thingy for our meal and it looked juuuust like flat soda. I poured it into one of our cups and me and Sister Larson were like  We put it in the fridge and then like two days later Sister Larson pulled it out and was like "Sister Oliphant! We made you some flat soda!" Sister Oliphant was soooo honored and so happily took the biggest swig in the whole world. I almost peed my pants the look of disappointment on her face as she just stood their and let the teriyaki sauce just pour out of her mouth soooo good. Still trying to win back her trust. 

Our friend Alberto now has a baptismal date!!  Sister Larson found this guy on the street at the beginning of her first transfer here in Gaia (and this is her 3rd now). But he hasn't started meeting with us until this transfer. Everyone pray for him and that tudo vai dar certo!!

Me and Sister Oliphant had a division this week!! It was a really good day. Literally every single lesson fell through but it was one of the most Spirit led days on my mish. Throughout the day we talked a lot about following the Spirit and how through the Spirit, sometimes the Lord gives us big revelatory experiences, and those are very important for us and our testimonies. But also how through the Spirit, the Lord guides us, gives us comfort, on a much smaller scale, sometimes multiple times in one day, but how these smaller experiences are much more easily overlooked and forgotten, even though they are equally as important for us and our testimonies. We were going to visit the house of this elect friend of theirs named Barbara they had found the last week but apparently her number wasn't working so the only contact they could possibly have was in person. We went to her house and she wasn't there. Sis Oliphant was sooo sad. We left talked to some uninterested people on the street, got cat called a couple times, so isso. We were walking and Sister Oliphant was like "we are gonna knock 3 doors of this apartment building." We stood there looking at the buttons to press and I said, "I'm feeling 4 direito." She said "no way me too." "Serio?" "Serio." We knocked the door and without hesitance, without even saying anything to us over the intercom, they buzzed us in. We were like  We went up, ended up being nothing. Knocked some more doors, nothing. Tudo bem we left. At this point we are pretty far from the house of the elect lady Barbara. We started walking and talking and I kind of felt like we should cross the street. It wasn't even a thought process I had really. We had no reason to cross, but as we were mid convo we crossed, didn't even talk about it, not a second thought. We crossed over to this bus stop where we saw a girl in a green dress and we were both like "yaaaa let's talk to her." We go and sit down next to her, and guess who it is, BARBARA. Sister Oliphant didn't realize it was her until we were literally sitting down right next to her. We were able to get her working number and marked a lesson with her. And just in time too because the next day she would be going to Lisbon for the weekend. And then her bus came and she left. From the time we had gotten to the bus station to her leaving, was only about 4 minutes. Honestly, my mind it blown when I think about all of the small details that played into our afternoon finding Barbara. I'm blown away when thinking just how intimately God is involved in every single one of our lives. Our Heavenly Father did all of this, planned everything out so perfectly, just for his beloved daughter Barbara. and I know he does the same for me and for you guys too, even if it isn't as obvious. 

Mosiah 4:9

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

But Imma be real tho not every day is like that though no way. Days like that are few and far between but they do make it into every missionaries email. Every day when we are on the street or knocking doors or doing anything, my head is swimming with thoughts saying that that street contact was absolutely terrible, or that I'm not talking to enough people, or that I'm not following the Spirit well enough. You would think by now I would have it down, but it's a mission long battle, a life long battle, recognizing that those destructive thoughts are not coming from the Lord but from Satan. I was praying the other night, telling all of my thoughts to our loving Heavenly Father and a bracelet, that my seminary teacher (my mom) once had us make in high school, came to mind. It was a bracelet with just a simple knot in the middle, and it was to help us remember this scripture. 

D&C 6

36 "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not."

And also I love this one!!

34 "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail." 

I love you guys!

Beijocas 

Sister Menden

Pics

- last pday

- we went on a hunt to find this man's house who self referenced himself and got caught in the biiiiggest rain storm ever and it was actually really fun and all the flowers were so beautiful 

- how me and Sister cornell walk anywhere together 

- this cute less active lady gave me some of her art 

- us so happy post member meal breaking our fast