Setubal - Week 2

This week we were able to get over to the area where our bishop lives. We are feeling like knocking doors there isn't going to give us the most fruits so we are making a different approach. We are going to do a little training for all the members that live in that area next Sunday. We have talked to 3 families that live there and they have all given us references for that area and we didn't even ask. They have a lot of desire to hasten the work where they live and we are really excited too  :) Because it takes about an hour to walk there and is a tougher area, it hasn't been really worked by missionarys in the past. We know that we probably will be just planting alot of seeds... but we are so excited :)
But we are having sucsess and feeling very grateful for our members and for this area. We have been finding more and more less active members every day and one came to church this Sunday as well as our investigators Carlos and Carla, which are a dad and daughter. Carla loved Young Womens :) The members just pulled her in and helped her feel welcome and invited her to Mutual.

This week I just have been so grateful for the spirit. I made a promise to the Lord and to myself at the beginning at this transfer to not miss any opportunities if I think I'm feeling the spirit or if it's just me. So with every little thing that I feel, I do it. Last night our plans fell through so we were talking to people in the street but there weren't very many. These 3 people walked by all at the same time and I had the impression to contact one of them... but he walked past and I stopped and said "Sister! We need to chase after that guy and talk to him". So we did and it turns out he was the Elders' investigator but they hadnt had a lot of time to talk to him with his schedule. We talked about the Book of Mormon and we could tell he felt the spirit. At the end of the contact we called the Elders on our phone and let him talk to them to set up an appointment. It was probably nothing... but it had great significance for us :) It was a sweet expereince :)
Life is good right now :)

I think that is all for this week :) Love you guys!
Love, Sister Jarnagin

Pics:
-the crazy sisters we live with
-a famous street in Setúbal with our random balloon haha
-Our adventure out in the boonies ;)

Setubal - Week 1

Yay! new new new

Well everything is NEW here. Area, companion and ward, but they are all wonderful. I'm serving with Sister Olson from Montana and she is great.  She is super cute and we are having fun getting to know our area. Our new area reminds me alot of barreiro when I was in the vale... ghetto ha ha. It mostly is just apartments. We found a lot of less actives this week which was good. The area isn't too big here. The ward is super wonderful too with about 140 members, and we have the GREATEST ward mission leader ever... too bad he will probably get released because he got a calling in the stake young mens. He is very patient with all of our questions about the area and members. 

 There are alot of Gypsys here in this area. Sister Swain started her mission here, Sister Ventura did the first half of Sister Olson´s training, and I am doing the second half. It's weird living with 4 sisters again... I had forgotten what a pleasure it is to take more than a 5 min shower and to make just 2 portions of lunch instead of 4. Well I'm learning for the future I guess :) Things are good. We don't have a lot of investigators right now because the sisters before were working in both areas and didn't work a whole lot here so we have A LOT of work to do which I am excited about :) Just this week we found so many less-active members. I think that's about it... there was a drunk gypsy that was bawling to us about how he came home and his chiwawah was dead.... so we talked about the plan of salvation in the simplest way possible so that a drunk man could understand... And then he sang us a gypsy song about the bible.

It´s alot warmer here than in Amadora. We´ve only had crazy rain once this week with hail. I'm doing good overall :)

Com muito amor,
Sister Jarnagin

Amadora - Week 6

This week we had our divisions with the sister training leaders in Mem Martins. Other than the pouring rain they were really good and we learned a lot.

We have been trying to visit the less actives of our ward list because our Bishop wants to go through it and we found a less active, Joaquim, who has been less active for over 5 years. He came to church yesterday, and his friends from the Bishopric and other members were so excited to see him. They were all hugging him and he was so happy. Later after a dinner we had with a member, a member of the Bishopric was talking to us and he said that when Joaquim walked in he was so excited to see him because he and other members had been to visit him for along time trying to help him come back. He said we did a miracle, but the thing is that Joaquim was already to come back. He remembered the feelings he felt there and we were excited to see him too.

This week we were able to mark Jocilene for baptism for next Sunday and she was able to watch a baptism in church. She is loving church and loving having time with her long lost friend. But then this is where the sad part comes. We got a call that both sister and I are leaving and going to new areas :( and 2 new sisters are coming in. We are both sad to leave, but we know that the members and the next sisters will take care of Jocilene. I'm going to Setubal to finish the training of sister Olson.  I'll be living with 4 sisters again which will be fun. Now we are just using our p-day to clean our house and the area book to get everything ready for the new sisters. I hope you all had a wonderful Valentines day!

Com amor,
Sister Jarnagin
Pics:
-Our Valentine Day Selfie
-Sister de Souza´s birthday. I made her a cake ;)
-Our chaple
-Some of the elders at a dinner we had at a members house
-us, Jocilene, and her long lost friend Kady

Amadora - Week 5

Oiiii!
This week was really good and a little bit crazy! We had our zone conference with presidente and interveiws which were good as always. It´s always good to talk to prez.

We also had a special activity as a zone with the sisters of Cascais in their area. We all went there and did contacts all day just inviting people to come tour the chapel to an open house they were doing. It was a good activity and the pictures of the ocean were taken from the chapel.

I want to tell about Jocelyn who is in the selfie we took. We were walking and I sat down in front of an apartment building to sit by her. She looks like she is 10 because of health problems but is 22. I invited her to church and then she said, "I have to go and went inside." We didn't think much of it because we didnt have her address or telephone number, but we got a call from her mom 3 days after saying that her daughter wanted to go to church. We set an appointment to go back the next day and talk with them. We taught about the plan of salvation and how she could have a perfect body with out sickness. They are here from Cape Verde for treatment for Jocelyn who has a heart problem. We gave them a book of Mormon and her mom kept kissing it and telling us that God sent Jocelyn to sit outside and He also sent us to come and find them. Jocelyn came to church yesterday and loved it and asked if she could come every Sunday after. One of the families in our ward, their daughter went to school with Jocelyn in Cape Verde when they were younger and they were both so happy to see each other! God´s plan is perfect :)
Well I love you all!
Love, Sister Jarnagin

Amadora - Week 4

This week was really good!

We started teaching a family that was a referal from our member. Altair, Yolanda, and their daughter, who is 5 and adorable. We are helping Yoland to stop smoking and she even fasted for us :). Altair is a little more difficult, but he went to church with the member last week and then the whole family made it to church this week. Yolanda loved it, but Altair is having a some doubts. Their daughter loved the primary! Every time we go over to teach, she wants to say the prayer.

This week Sister de Souza and I worked crazy hard. We were litterally slammed all week with apointments which was amazing. We were able to visit so many new people and we were able to recieve many new references.

Yesterday we met a guy who said he had Jesus inside him and showed his belly with a big scar on it... and he said he was John the Baptist. So that's John the Baptist with Jesus inside of him... yep. Portugal.

The pictures are of the train station and of our p-day in Sintra today. First time in along time that I have heard English.

I love you all!
Love, Sister Jarnagin