thankful

Querida família,
So guess where I am right now.
I am in SÃO JOÃO.
Remember, my first area?
I am there RIGHT NOW.
Here is the story. Sister Bollinger had to go today to Lisboa to get her residency card. I found out that one of the sisters in São João also had to go. So rather than having me and her companion both stay in Porto, when the executives called to arrange everything, I asked if I could come stay here.
And here I am!
I got here last night and I already got to visit Paulo and Linda. It was so awesome because I stood on the stairs where they couldn´t see and Sister Hill knocked on the door. Linda answered and was like "What are you doing here alone? Where is your companion?" Sister Hill said, "She had to go to Lisbon! So I decided to bring a Christmas surprise to you!" So then I popped up and I thought Linda was going to have a heart attack. She gave me a huge hug and Paulo gave me a huge handshake (ha) and we were all just so happy. It was a Christmas miracle to get to see them again :)
One of the neatest miracles we had this week was with a lady named Teresa. She lives next to some membros who brought her to church. We met her there and then had a lesson a few days later. She said she really loved church and she even told the member "Even if you aren´t going to be there I´m going to church every week!" so then we asked her "so... would you like to be a member?" And she said yes! We haven´t even taught her the first lesson yet and she is marked for baptism. Church is so so so important and can really change our hearts.
We had a "tour da missão" this week with Elder Dyches from the 70. I really learned a lot. He also told us about what it was like to speak in General Conference. (It sounds awful). He and his wife are really, really nice and so inspirational (prerequisite for the job?). One of my favorite things was this quote: "I, for one, choose faith over doubt, desanimo, and fear. I know in Whom I trust. Let us, no matter the trial of our faith, hope on, pray on, press on!"
On Thanksgiving we had lunch with the English family in our ward. They made us chili, because it´s "cheerful and cheap".
Another thing I realized this week is that the people here recognize me and my companion and other missionaries as "different". We were talking to a girl on the street and she said "I am seeing that you are really happy and I feel this inner peace. Maybe that is power from God?" Even though she doesn´t really understand who we are or what our calling is, she recognized that we have POWER. That is because we were called and set apart by the priesthood of God. We have authority to represent our Lord and Saviour Jesus Cristo. And even though the people don´t know what exactly that is, they can see we have it. And now we just have to live up to it :)
Basically this week was cold and wonderful. I hope you all are reading your scriptures and I hope you know that I LOVE YOU!!
Com amor,
Sister Gidney