Barreiro - Week 3

Portugal is wonderful♡  Many very humbling experiences. I'm loving "little Africa" Barreiro where I am right now. So many people with different cultures. It's wonderful to experience it.

I can't believe I am serving with someone who has the same amount of time on the mission. It still feels like we are just babies and we don't know what we are doing and they just throw us out in the world... But we realized that we can speak and we know our way around and we aren't afraid anymore and if we stay together for the next transfer we will hit our nine months halfway point on the mission in September. It feels like I just got here!

I felt like I would never learn Portuguese, or be able to remember scriptures, or contact random people on the road, but I know that every time I put my trust in God and act in faith that he helps me with unbelievable strength that is definitely not my own. One thing I have learned is that God doesn't take away our trials, but he gives us strength to get through them. "If we put our trust in God, the hardest as well as the easiest of times will be a blessing." What a magnificent blessing we have! We don't even see it like that sometimes. The blessings of the mission are never ending... & I have the blessing to see people change their lives every single day . There is disappointment, but there is also so much joy!

There is a family that is our investigators and the two little girls are only 11 and they can't wait to be baptized but are waiting on legal papers. I wish all of you could see Portugal and experience it all with me. I do miss all of you so much. During our interviews with President he asked us what we sacrifice to be here. It really made me think, because I see all these amazing people I serve with and what circumstances they come from and I thought of what I sacrificed, & I thought of all of you. The mission has taught me the true and real importance of family.

Everything and everyone has lice. Gross!  All the little kids on the street, but we just try to be careful. There are a lot of missionaries who have lice... I am NOT one of them yet!

It is a bit cooler today than normal. There are usually never clouds so it is hot all the time. Me and sister Swain talked about investing in some bikes. We have a good area for it, but it won't happen because we need to walk to contact people and with the humidity, helmet hair would be inapropriate ha ha!

P.S. My name means weed in portuguese too ha ha! And I would kill for a good snow cone!

The pictures are:
Sister Bacon who finished her mission. Our house is a little bit quiter without the baconnator.

Sister Fuertes teaching sister Mendes to dance like a mexicana

Our Cafe selfie with Kleidir.

And our Christmas in August that we made in our house... because we missed christmas. :)

Ola Amigos!

 Our Sister Baconnator left this week and is heading back to the good U.S of A. I only thought of home a little bit ;)

 This week all of us were missing Christmas a little bit more than usual, so we decided to have our own. We decorated with some decorations that we found in our closet and we made cookies with milk and had cokecola. We put on our David Archuleta Christmas and our beds in the big room all together on the floor and it was just about perfect :) We have so much fun together all the time! The sisters are crazy and when we aren't being crazy we are learing Spanish and Creole. 

This week Elainy was supposed to be baptized, but the situation with her dad was complicated. We found out that her mom could sign the papers for baptism and make a decleration. So she will be baptized this Saturday and we are continuing to pray so much for her. Her cousin Rute wants to be baptized also, but neither of her parents live here so its complicated. Her dad came from England for one day this past week and we had the chance to talk to him. We dont know if she will be baptized, but she has the desire. It is hard to see people who want to be baptized so much and to do the will of the Father and to not have the ability to in that moment, but Heavenly Father is so aware of his children. And they will all have a chance! 

I found out that Julia from my last area was baptized this last week. I am so happy!!! :) She has alot alot of courage! 

From the wise advice of a portugues man´s t-shirt, 

"No questions No answers Just the simple freedom of Surfing"

(and the gospel of Jesus Christ) :)

Com amor, Sister Jarnagin