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Hi!
Some emails I feel like I don't have much to say and I'm trying to think of literally any thing we did different. But this week I have so much to say I don't even know where to start. 
Tuesday:
- We had a member meal with a lady who was baptized 2 years ago, and I walked into the meal thinking it would be a chill awesome meal with a cute Brasilian lady but then she spent the whole hour talking about how terrible it was for her to receive her endowment and that she's never going back to the temple. She talked about suuuch sacred things, saying that they come from the devil. and I left that member meal and cried because it was so offensive to hear her talk in such a terrible way about the things that matter most to me. One thing that I will not miss about the mission, are experiences like this member meal, or conversations on the street, or on facebook, where people so shamelessly bash on my testimony and the things so personal to me.
- Took the 3 hour train to Setubal!
Wednesday:
- Exchange with Sister Wilson in Setubal!! It was a gooood day packed with lots of lessons and we taught the Restoration like 8 million times. I love teaching the Restoration. Even though we taught it many times throughout the day every single time it was different. It was so cool because in each of the lessons the Spirit put words into my mind or questions I should ask to help that specific person at that specific part of the lesson, whether it were about the love of God, or the Savior's ministry, or prophets, or personal apostasy and the great apostasy.
Thursday:
- Zone conference in Setubal! 
It was centered on having the faith to find people to teach and it was so good. President shared that it is "Only your unbelief will keep God from blessing you with miracles to move the mountains in your life" (Pres Nelson). It's not the "hard area" or the summer time, or the members, but our own disbelief that is withholding the miracles and blessings in this work.
It was centered on having the faith to find people to teach and it was so good. President shared that it is "Only your unbelief will keep God from blessing you with miracles to move the mountains in your life" (Pres Nelson). It's not the "hard area" or the summer time, or the members, but our own disbelief that is withholding the miracles and blessings in this work. - As part of President's training, we did pequena practicas. Sister Webster and I gave a little training on how to find friend's to teach through the friends you are already teaching. It was kinda scary but ended up being super chill!
- Sister Barcellos gave this AMAZING training omg. She went through each of the phases of her life and talked about the gospel truths that she learned. Sister Barcellos has a PhD in Biology (se nao me enganada) and is so incredibly smart and has an incredible spiritual experience for literally anything that she could possibly ever teach. When Elder Oaks interviewed them to be mission leaders, he told her that she was highest educated woman that he's ever interviewed. I am just convinced that I have the best mission leaders ever.
- The AP's gave a training on blessing homes of our friends and members. And I thought it was sooo interesting .They taught they we are to first introduce ourselves as representatives of Jesus Christ. We teach the roll of the Spirit. We talk about the power of our calling. And then we offer a blessing on their house, naming each person by name, praying for their needs. For the Elders it's a blessing of the priesthood and for the Sisters a blessing of faith. Then we testify, mark another lesson, and leave. When Alma was invited into Amulek's house he "ate bread and was filled; and he blessed Amulek and his house, and he gave thanks unto God" (Alma 8:22). I've always imagined that just Alma being there in the house, blessed Amulek and his house. I have never thought of Alma actually doing the act of blessing. I'm excited to apply it!!!
Friday:
- This day was not my best day!!! hahah After being here now in Faro a transfer and a half, I can confidently say that this area has been my hardest work wise. I am happy!! and I love the work!! It's just hard!! I was feeling a little mentally exhausted on Friday and then our good old friend Valentin, Ukrainian man, was a good cherry on top. 
Valentin came to the church for his interview and before anything, he told us that the night before he had received an answer from God saying that Joseph Smith was NOT a prophet. I'll spare you guys a lot of the details but pretty much his interview lasted like 5 minutes :// and then we had a lesson with him :// that was just the saddest lesson ever. That's the best word I have probably to describe it. Just so sad. All of the prior confirmations that he had gotten about the Book of Mormon and baptism were out the window as he was asking which do we believe more, the Bible or the Book of Mormon? or Who do we follow, God or man? We had had already answered all of his questions plenty of times before, and so all we could do was testify to him. We testified so hard, and he told us that our testimonies do not matter if it's not written in the Bible. We finished the lesson and I was holding back tears. We go to say the prayer, and Sister Webster knows well by now when I'm about to cry so she so kindly offered to pray. I tried not to, but as she prayed I just cried. We had worked so much with this man, and it has not been easy. Hours and hours of studying and praying and helping this man to come to know the truth, and it was just so sad to see him get so close to making his first covenant with God, and then denying it. After the prayer Sister Webster told him that he is still very welcome at church and that he should still come. and then he said "I will only go to church where they actually follow the law of God."
It is so sad to come so far and still have him be so confused. The best part of the story is that it just so happened that the whole ward happened to be at our very small chapel at that same time and that the whole world happened to see me crying like a baby. It was actually very embarrassing lol BUT my tears were good for something because we did walk out of that chapel with a lot more members meals than when we walked in. 
Valentin came to the church for his interview and before anything, he told us that the night before he had received an answer from God saying that Joseph Smith was NOT a prophet. I'll spare you guys a lot of the details but pretty much his interview lasted like 5 minutes :// and then we had a lesson with him :// that was just the saddest lesson ever. That's the best word I have probably to describe it. Just so sad. All of the prior confirmations that he had gotten about the Book of Mormon and baptism were out the window as he was asking which do we believe more, the Bible or the Book of Mormon? or Who do we follow, God or man? We had had already answered all of his questions plenty of times before, and so all we could do was testify to him. We testified so hard, and he told us that our testimonies do not matter if it's not written in the Bible. We finished the lesson and I was holding back tears. We go to say the prayer, and Sister Webster knows well by now when I'm about to cry so she so kindly offered to pray. I tried not to, but as she prayed I just cried. We had worked so much with this man, and it has not been easy. Hours and hours of studying and praying and helping this man to come to know the truth, and it was just so sad to see him get so close to making his first covenant with God, and then denying it. After the prayer Sister Webster told him that he is still very welcome at church and that he should still come. and then he said "I will only go to church where they actually follow the law of God." It is so sad to come so far and still have him be so confused. The best part of the story is that it just so happened that the whole ward happened to be at our very small chapel at that same time and that the whole world happened to see me crying like a baby. It was actually very embarrassing lol BUT my tears were good for something because we did walk out of that chapel with a lot more members meals than when we walked in. Saturday:
- At zone conference, we talked a lot about being at the right place, at the right time, doing the right activity. We were walking to our lunch we had with a member and were about to turn down the street we normally walked down but I told Sister Webster that maybe we should go down the other one. She said she was thinking the same thing. We went down the other street and talked to a man Rodrigo who was super not interested but then as we kept walking we walked past this house with a woman walking out to the front gate to get her mail. I immediately recognized the house because a month earlier we had received an online referral from someone who lived there but we were never able to get into contact with them. We went up and talked to her and talked to her about the pamphlet we had left there, and the Spirit she had felt while reading it. We promised her that she would feel that same Spirit every time she read the Book of Mormon and she excitedly kept a copy for herself. We are going back to her house in a couple days and I'm excited!! God never ceases to amaze me.
- We had a ward party!! For the first time ever!! We invited the whole world to this party. and 10 non-members came!!! and almost outnumbered the members that were there!! hahah. It was such a miracle that so many friends came. Almost all of them we have already taught and are currently not interested in learning more with us, but I'm still really glad they were there. It was awesome for the members (the few that were there lol) to see how awesome and important activities are.
- I almost forgot the biggest miracle. Do you remember Maria, Domingos' partner who invoked Demons for our death?? SHE CAME TO THE PARTY. She is a cute tender sad old lady for real. But her coming to the party helped me realize how insane she is. She came to the party and loved it, made lots of friends, even danced with Sister Webster (I have proof!!) she even got our number so we could message and said that she would be at church with Domingos the next day. and theeen Sunday came around and Domingos said she had gone insane and that he wasn't able to come. His baptismal date is coming up and I'm getting nervous!!
Sunday:
- Not a single friend or recent convert came to church. We took a fat L.
- Something I've realized recently is that I really don't miss my music from back home. Yes I miss an occasional Taylor Swift song, but I do not mind that I am just in this spiritual bubble where all I listen to is the hymns.
While church wasn't awesome friends wise, it was amazing because of the opportunity I had to take the sacrament. This week I've been studying a lot about the sacrament, and the fact that I knew I was going to church on Sunday to renew my baptismal covenant was something that I looked forward to during my harder days. I want you guys all to not only to read, but to listen or watch one of my favorite talks and to think more upon the sacred ordinance that you'll partake of this Sunday.
Behold the Lamb of God
Sister MendenPics
- doing some arts and crafts on the train for all the missionaries of the zone
- knocking some doors in Setúbal!
- the only pic I have from our exchange
- zone conference!!
- Valentin 
- Sister Webster dancing with Maria 
- We marked tons of times to do missionary work with some members this week and on Sunday we went out with Abel and we totally looked like Jehovahs Witnesses but he was so tender bearing his testimony it was so tender.
- We were at a member meal and this little boy wanted and grabbed a Livro de Mórmon and plopped right on down with us it was so cute 
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