Paciência 💓

Bom diaaaa

This week was for sure the best, happiest week of the transfer!

Ever since my first transfer here, I have heard that Faro is way overdue for an earthquake. And then with the earthquake in Morocco (which I actually just found out happened I had no idea on the mission you know literally nothing) apparently for the next 7 days there's a really high chance of their being an earthquake here. Apparently (it's all apparently because I can't fact check any of this, all of my knowledge comes from what I have heard from members) there's a fault line right south of Portugal and everyone is freaking out because we only live 3 miles from the beach and what if there's a tsunami too enfim. I'm not really too concerned but then we walk by a building under construction here and see how they just throw those cinder blocks together and I'm like Pray for us lol.

Last transfer, Sister Webster and I were at a park and we gave out 3 Book of Mormons to these girls playing there and a 3 little pamphlets about the restoration to this group of old Portuguese men. And then this week, Sister Hagedorn and I were walking to a less active ladies house and walked past the same little park and this old portuguese man waved us over. He said "Can I ask you something" and we were like siiiimmmmm. He said "Where can I get myself one of those books?" And then he pointed to the Book of Mormon in my hand. He said that he had read the pamphlet we had given him and had learned about how this new book came about and that now he needs to read it to learn for himself. We were like Now we are going to go teach the cute old Portuguese man Vitor Manuel Dias Ribeiro on Tuesday

I love comp study!! I love hearing what my comp has studied and learning from them. I have a goal to always do comp study for the rest of forever whether that be with my friends or family or future spouse

I freaking love our recent convert, Yasmin. We were in a lesson with her and were re-teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and near the end of the lesson we asked if she could remember the last step. And she answered firmly saying that the last step was the temple So precious and so true Get this, her and her family are moving to Germany this week!!! I'm so sad about it!!! Because of her dad's job they are moving there all of a sudden. I'm sad about it but I'm pretty sure the ward was even sadder.

On Saturday we had a movie night at the church again!! It was so fun and tons of our friends came!! We watched "Meet the Mormons" and it was awesome for our friends to see that the church is bigger than just Faro and awesome for them to hear other conversion stories, but it was not super awesome with all of the tons of emphasis on the word "Mormons." I was sitting with Viviane and Erikzinho and they were just eating it up. She kept looking at me through the movie and saying "Sério??" Little Erikzinhho loved the story of the "Missionary Mom" and even leaned over and asked "I have to be 18 years old to do that, right?" I love that boy. It was embarrassing, when the mom and the son hugged goodbye in the movie, I couldn't help but cry like a baby (anyone who knows me knows I'm really good at crying at everything) and Viviane was there consoling me and thanking me so much for being there to help her find the church. Sooo tender.

This week I had an exchange with Sister Jones here in Faro!! It was soooo good. We studied the talk "What Lack I Yet" by Larry R. Lawrence together and it was such a good reminder of the need for spiritual progression. We were talking about it during our comp study and while I was mid sentence, a video came into my mind and I lost complete train of thought, I couldn't even finish what I was trying to say. It was made so clear to me that we need to watch it. I hadn't watched this video since my days in Gaia so I wasn't even sure what the whole video would say but I knew the thought was from the Spirit, so we watched it and it complimented the talk sooo perfectly and it brought the Spirit and made for such a good discussion

Here's the talk:

What Lack I Yet?

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2015/10/what-lack-i-yet?lang=eng

Here's the video:

Pray for Eyes to See as He Sees

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/inspirational-messages/2021-07-0050-pray-for-eyes-to-see-as-he-sees-1080p?lang=eng

We studied patience as a zone this week!! And it has been so good for me. I looove Faro and I loooove this ward and the members, but I'm feeling about ready for a change. I learned a lot about this Christ-like attribute in re-reading one of my fav talks.

"In our approach to life, patience also helps us to realize that while we may be ready to move on, having had enough of a particular learning experience, our continued presence is often needed as a part of the learning environment of others. Patience is thus closely connected with two other central attributes of Christianity—love and humility. Paul said to the saints at Thessalonica, “Be patient toward all men”—clearly a part of keeping the second great commandment (1 Thessalonians 5:14)."

"Patience helps us to use, rather than to protest, these seeming flat periods of life, becoming filled with quiet wonder over the past and with anticipation for that which may lie ahead, instead of demeaning the particular flatness through which we may be passing at the time. We should savor even the seemingly ordinary times, for life cannot be made up all of kettledrums and crashing cymbals. There must be some flutes and violins. Living cannot be all crescendo; there must be some dynamic contrast.

Clearly, without patience we will learn less in life. We will see less; we will feel less; we will hear less. Ironically, “rush” and “more” usually mean “less.” The pressure of “now,” time and time again, go against the grain of the gospel with its eternalism."

Patience "is the acceptance of a divine rhythm to life."

As the transfer ends this week and we have transfers on Friday, I'm grateful for time to reflect and also these emails that give me the opportunity to "become filled with quiet wonder over the past" and give me "anticipation for that which may lie ahead."

I have 2 transfers left and please pray that me and Sister Cordner are magically comps somehow

Amo-vos!!

Sister Menden

Pics!

- We went to the skull chapel again!!

- Videocall with Yasmin

- We treated ourselves to ice cream after I almost started crying during a street contact when an evil Jehovah's Witness

- the Mirandas!

- I went on a run with Sister Humble in Olhão! But I didn't bring my shoes so I ran in my Tevas. Valeu a pena.

- Exchange with Sister Jones!

- Movie night! I took this picture at the perfect time to make it look like we were watching cartoons lol.

- Pics with members and friends