Miratejo - Week 6 (and transfers)

Well this week has definately been a blur!

We had the delightful blessing to aquire bed bugs in our house... disgusting! Basically all the missionary houses have them right now. We just like pick them up on the metro and streets and peoples house and they make their selves at home in our beds.

We also got the call this week that our area was going to have elders, so we needed to prepare it.  It was a crazy couple days preparing for that. I was so sad to already be leaving Miratejo and all the wonderful people there. The ward is amazing, all the members, and our querida investigators. Especially Otelinda! We told Otelinda and the members that we were leaving and they were so sweet! They prepared a party for us and Otelinda made a special cake for us. We marked Telma's family for baptism for August, so the elders will teach them and baptize them in 2 weeks :) It was one of the most powerful lessons I have ever been in!

Sister McCall and I were sad to leave each other, but she is doing a pink wash with one of our sister Traning leaders, and I am in Barreiro 1 with Sister Swain my buddy :) We have the same time on the mission and we are both so excited :)

Com amor, Sister Jarnagin

Miratejo - Week 5

I FINALLY WENT TO THE OCEAN! It was beautiful :) A little dirty and a million tourist and portugues people, but still, the ocean.

We finally got to meet our new mission presidents, and they are wonderful! They dont speak English, but they are so nice and just willing to help with whatever! President Tavares is an inspired man!

Sorry this is so short, but I love being a missionary!  I can see how blessed we all are to have it and the knowledge of eternal families and the oportunity to try harder every day! I am addicted to Elder Eyring´s talk, "Mountains to climb", and one of my favorite quotes from the talk is where he talks about faith.

"Acting on even a twig of faith, allows God to grow it."

I know that this life is tough, and being a missionary is tough too, but there is so much joy and blessings that come from our trials. Our Savior is always right by our side to lift us up. Every trial and experience and blessing that we have, polish us a little more to be prepared to meet our Savior.

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing." I have definately witnessed this first hand, especially on my mission.

Com amor,
Sister Jarnagin

Miratejo - Week 4

Happy 4th of July America! I have tanto saudades for your mountains
and firework shows. We celebrated the 4th of July by wearing red, white, and blue... and then some people on the street were asking us for money because they think Americans have it... But HA! Missionarys are poor. "Here, take this Book of Mormon" :) Skillfully contacting.

I don´t feel like this week has been very different. I got my first portugues hair cut, and it actually isnt too terrible!

It looks like Otilinda wont be able to be baptized this Sunday, but we still have
alot of faith and are hoping for a miracle. Her house wont be finished in time for her to move out of her ex-boyfriends, but she keeps saying that she has faith!

Yesterday we had an appointment to pass by a less active members house, and we sat down to talk and she told us that she
hadnt been baptized... we were like "what?" But she said she wanted to
be baptized now and she wanted us to teach her the lessons again because it had been 2 years since she had heard them. She had been coming to church for 2 years and wasnt baptized. She seriously is a missionary´s dream. Plus her 2 year old son is the cutest :) But she
wanted to roll play so we would teach her like she didnt know anything about the gospel... so that was a little weird, but the spirit was still mesmo forte! We walked away feeling greatful and humble.

I am loving the mission!
Com amor, Sister Jarnagin

Miratejo - Week 3

Already half way through the transfer... what? Besides the fact that is like 100 degrees here everyday, and I'm pretty sure I will have skin cancer no matter how much sunscreen I lather on, everything is going really good! Especially with our investigator Otilinda. She has her baptismal date set for the 12 of July which is in 2 weeks! She is super excited and so are all of the members. We are just waiting until she can move into her own house and out of her ex-boyfriends house. She has a house but bought it at the pit so she could re-model it. The ward is being so helpful and working together to get her house fixed up.

The members here are all so sweet and we have been focusing on having more of our lessons with investigators with the members of the ward, and they are loving it!

Nothing new is really happening other than that... just the missionary life of talking to lots of people :) It is a good life!

I love the Joseph Smith movie and what he says at the very end, "Shall we not go on in such great a cause!" My testimony continues to be strengthened every day and every time I testify of the Lord, Jesus Christ. There can be no selfishness to the work of the Lord.

We met this week with a recent convert, and he bore his testimony to us about Christ. He has gone through a lot just to be a member of the Church, and has seen the blessings of repentance. He knows his Savior. That is one of the greatest blessings to witness.

I was reading the conference talk of Elder Renlund in my personal studies, and I love his quote, "If we don´t try, we´re just latter day sinners; if we don´t perserver, we´re just latter day quitters: and if we don't allow others to try, we´re just latter day hypocrites." This gospel is truly an unselfish gospel. And when we let it into our lives, it definitely can truly change us!

Com amor,
Sister Jarnagin
p.s. sorry there aren't pictures... I forgot my card :(