Everyone needs to get married 🫠

 

Bom diaaaa!!

The first week of a new transfer is always a little harder. Getting to know a new comp and how you work together and live together and literally just being together 24/7, is exhausting  but life is SO GOOD right now. I'm very blessed. Yes, every morning I get out of bed so exhausted and I immediately am excited for later that night when I can get back in bed again, but once I'm up and have worked out and have drank some coke zero (diet coke is not an option here) and I've started working, I AM SO HAPPY até chorar na rua 

This week we had MLC! and every 6 months we have a big MLC with all of the district leaders too so it was pretty big and was pretty much just an extra zone conference but it was soooo good. It made up for the 4.5 hour long bus ride THERE and then another 4.5 hour long bus ride BACK  The office elders are awesome and are probably so stressed and overwhelmed but I just pray they get us a train next time because  There is a lot of new leadership in the mission right now, and so a big chunk of MLC was just explaining what a leader is and the impact that they have. 

It's crazy to see that the Sisters with my same time on the mission, are some of the "oldest" sisters in the mission and in leadership. I never thought that this day would come literally ever. I was also so blessed to see and play with Sister Cordner at MLC!  It has been so amazing to go through and do all of the things on the mission together, and now we can work together as STL's. I know one of the many reasons why we were called to the same mission was for us to be able to grow alongside each other and I'm grateful for that. 

Aaallll of my mission I have never really taught families. And now!! I'm so blessed to teach two!! and it has been streeessful lol.

Viviane and Erik and Erikzinho!!!

I LOVE THESE PEOPLE. First of all we put big Erik on date to be baptized with his family!! So this week and next week we have been and will be meeting with Erik and Erikzinho everyday at 9:30 in the morning, and then we meet with Viviane and Erikzinho at 5:30 at night. It's been crazy to plan with them because of work. This family is PROOF to me that the field is white and ready to harvest. I gotta tell you guys about Erikzinho. He is a literal angel. He is 9 and he reads the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY. He is on summer vacation right now and was telling us how while his dad works everyday, he sits in the back and reads the Book Mormon and marks that bad boy up and he truly understands what he is reading. He is so smart. He comes in the morning and learns with his Dad and then later in the second lesson he asks us if he can explain what fasting is to his mom. I can not get over it. This week we discovered that Viviane and Erik are not married  and in this one lesson, we happened to have all of them there together. When Viviane found out what they need to get married or either separate for them to be able to live the law of chastity and be baptized, she immediately got upset at Erik that they hadn't gotten married back in Brasil like she wanted to. She was like "Now we have to push back our baptism!!!" Their situation is very complicated, and it was hard to figure it our and we know nothing about immigration and thingies and records and stuff and the members helped a lot!! But it comes down to the fact that when big Erik moved here first, he moved here legally, but he didn't do all the paperwork and things he needed. But when Viviane and Erikzinho came here later, she had taken care of all of their documents. And so now, big Erik has to take care of his records for them to be able to get married and it's pricey. Viviane wants to get married to him, but she won't help him pay for his documents because he refused to do them in the first place. AND NOW Viviane even said that if she needs to she will separate from him and move out with Erikzinho if that means that they can be baptized sooner  So!! Pray they get baptized asap!! We gotta teach all of the things still!! 

Viviane and Yasmin!!

Their situation is also a little complicated! Viviane is not married to this guy that she's "with" but they are completely dependent on him. Yasmin even was saying that her mom needs to drop him but right now, Viviane can't find a job because her littlest daughter is too young for any school and the oldest daughter can't find school and they don't have any money. They might even move up to the north of Portugal soon to try to figure out the situation so that's sad. So right now, the only person that could actually get baptized on their date of the 9th of September is Yasmin, the 14 year old daughter! So we are going to work with her on that this week. 

Guys!!! This is now my 3rd transfer here and this is the first time in my mission where I feel like we are starting to see the results of all of the member work we have been doing! I LOVE THESE MEMBERS!!! FINALLY we have successfully had two missionary work correlation meetings these past two weeks. AND these correlation meetings have been not only with the member in the elders quorum who is in charge of missionary work, but it has been with the relief society president, primary president, and the young women's president!!! (For some reason our Bispo thinks that the calling of a ward mission leader isn't a real calling?? Even when we have 4 sisters working in this ward??) AND THE MEETINGS HAVE BEEN SO GOOD. I need to chill with the caps but I'm just so excited. I have never had an area where there has been this much participation and it has literally made the biggest difference in the work. We are seeing miracles. We had 10 members in lessons this week! And our friends were all amazingly well received in church! and members knew who they were! And I can see that the members are happy and more excited to be participating more in the work! This week one of my fav members said that he had already asked President if I could stay here until I finish my mission in December  I don't know if I waaant that but still isn't that so tender?? 

I love you guys mesmo

Sister Menden

Pics!

- syds rings 5ever

- Our english class!

- açaí and spa night!!

- mlc and my only pic with sister cordner 

- me living my best life with a coke and Book of Mormon in my hands 

- mom sent us some Mac n cheese 

- Christian!! Who I taught in Aveiro and is getting baptized next month was in the Algarve for the weekend and he came to church in Faro to see me!! 

- After our correlation meeting one the Irmãs wanted to take a picture with us so cute!! Idk who's blackberry took that photo but isn't it precious?