cows and the sea

Ola família!
This week was pretty crazy--we spent half of it in the middle of the ocean! We left Wednesday morning for the Azores and didn´t get back until LATE Friday night. The islands were wonderful. Basically they are just little green hills in the middle of the ocean, covered with cows. I´ll attach a picture.

It was really wonderful to see how Heavenly Father took care of our area even though we couldn´t be here for a lot of the week. On Tuesday we were able to work with a LOT of members--we had more lessons with a member that day than all of last week combined.
On Tuesday we saw yet again the hand of the Lord protecting His missionaries. We were walking from part of our area to the capela for a lesson. We were as little late so we decided to cut through this little nieghborhood that we had only been through once, in the daylight. We were walking through, pretty quickly, when a group of young men called out "Oh Elders!" they kept calling but we just kept walking. As we entered the last little alleyway, there was another girl who came up behind us. One of the young men ran over and jumped on her, trying to steal her bag. Luckily another man was coming up the other way and helped her. It was literally 2 feet away from being me or my companion, but it wasn´t. And that girl is okay, don´t worry.
The Açores were so much fun. I loved working with the sisters there. On Wednesday we went to Ponta Delgada. I was with Sister Bos. We met a lot of people and also explored some new parts of the area. I was really impressed with her and her companion. They are really good friends and are just happy all the time. On the contrast, our next division was in Angra. The sisters there were stressed out about their companionship and their area. We tried to help them calm down a little bit, especially about the things that they can´t control. Basically what I learned this week is we all just need to relax a little. Do what you can do, and then let go of the rest. "it is not meet than a man should run faster than he has strength". And I am trying to apply that in our area because I feel like we are trying and trying but nothing is happening. But I don´t feel upset about it because we are doing our part. And we just have to let go of the things we can´t control. Because no amount of stressing will give us control over them.

On the islands, we met a lot of Americans. They told us we "look Mormon". I think that is a good thing maybe.
Also on Ponta Delgada the accent is SO weird. It is like French or something. It was fun to listen to. Less fun to understand.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMILY!!! I can´t believe you will be 14.
I hope you all enjoy General conference this weekend! It is going to be wonderful.
I love you all tons! Here are some pictures of the trip :)
Com amor,
Sister Gidney

St. Patrick´s.. .Week?

Ola família!
It was a pretty good week. Here´s an overview.
--During P day I cut my companion´s hair. Don´t tell her mom. It looks fine.
--We went up to this area called Arroja for an evening. We passed by a family, the one with the massage boy, and tried to teach them but the dad was drunk and so he just kept talking louder and louder saying the same things over and over so we just left. You can´t have the Spirit like that. BUT afterwards we went to have a noite familiar with a part member family and it was AWESOME. The ward secretary lives with his cousin and her five kids. The oldest boy is a member as well (he is the teachers´ quorum president) and he has been asking his mom when she is going to get baptized! We are really excited to help him help her.
--We were visiting a little neighborhood before another appointment that you have to take the bus to. So we were about to leave the area but then this man stopped us and told us his neighbor really needed spiritual help. So we obviously went to talk to her. She was really nice and open and has a really kind heart and we set up another appointment. We finally left two minutes before the bus was to arrive a ten minute wakl away. So what did we do? We ran. Well first we were locked in the yard so instead of finding someone to open the gate we hopped the wall (it was only like 5 feet) and then we just ran. Luckily it was downhill. We got to the stop just as the bus arrived. Just call us Sister Indiana Jones.
--I got asked if I was Brazilian!!! That means that I have an accent but I speak Portuguese well, and also that I am not blinding pasty white anymore.
--I also got asked if I am 17 years old. Almost.
--A member asked us if we could babysit. "No it is against our rules." "But the bishop said you could!" "Ummm... No. This is a rule from the prophet, not the bishop" "Oh... The prophet."
--On Saturday, we were walking to a cmopromisso when we saw a woman leaning out of her apartment window on the first floor. We tried talking to her, but she wasn´t interested, so we asked if she knew anyone who needed spiritual help. She thought for a moment and then gave us the name of her neighbor and explained the situation. She opened the apartment door for us to go up and talk to the woman, Maria do Céu. Maria was warm and inviting, let us in, and now wants us to teach her daughter as well. All from an uninterested lady in a window!
--We had a division in Lapa. That area was suepr pretty, and also HAS THOSE LITTLE TROLLEY TRAM THINGS. We rode one and it was amazing. I was with Sister Call. She was so wonderful. I had a great day and learned a lot from her, especially about how to recognize the Spirit and how to love everyone.
--The sewer up the street exploded. It was spraying like a fountain and running down the street. Smelled pretty bad.
On that note, I hope you all have a wonderful week. It sounds like things are going well and that everyone is being super awesome. Keep on doing the right things okay? I love you TONS.
Also HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!! Don´t worry, you´re not old yet.
Com muito amor,
Sister Gidney
P.s. Me with Sister Call.

P.p.s. Going to the Açores this week!

Division one, check

Hey there família,
It was a good week! We ate some ice cream and a fartura, so there is no way it wasn´t good. We had a division with the sisters who we live with. I went with Sister Anderson. We had a really fun day getting to know each other better and making some goals for our work. And I learned SO much! More than I have ever learned in any other division. I realized some things I can do to improve, and it was really fun too :)
What else happened this week... oh one of our elders got emergency transferred. He was here one day and the next he was just gone. I guess it was kind of like what it will be like at the second coming. It will just, happen.
We had a huge combined zone conference on wednesday! I saw everyone! Sister Cutler and Sister Bollinger and a bunch of elders from the MTC or other districts. It was really fun and also a really good meeting. AND they gave us lunch.
So a lot of our investigators have kids with autism. Not a lot, but 2. We went over to one on Saturday, and their boy, who is twelve, is in this give-everyone-massages phase. UNfortunately, that is very much against mission rules, so we had a fun game of cat-and-massage-mouse while we taught.
Last night we visited one of our Cabo Verdian investigators. Her name is Dulce and she is wonderful. She was cooking dinner for her and her son, and she invited us to stay and eat. We tried to refuse because they didn´t have much food but she insisted. She served us first, leaving less for herself. It was one of the most... selfless things I have ever seen. I was so grateful the whole time. It is amazing how these people have so little physically, but give SO much. And in return, will recieve even more blessings. She has a lot of qualities I want to develop.
Besides that, it was a normal week. No one showed up to church, s today and tomorrow we´re gonig to visit the 15 people who said they would come and see what´s going on. Hopefully we can help them.
I hope you all have a wonderful st patrick´s day!! I love you tons :)
Com amor,
Sister Gidney
pictures-me with Sisters Cutler Bollinger and Anderson

 

first week in odivelas

Ola família,
Well, I made it through the first week! Here I am in the heart of Lisbon. I´m still a bit lost as to a lot of what is going on... It´s a bit weird going to a new area. Everything looks completely new but also strangely familiar.
The Lisbon Situation:
Alright so. My area is Lisboa 5A, otherwise known as Odivelas. There are 3 duplas in the ward here, two of sisters and one of elders. The elders are Elder Seeley and Elder Bluemel. Us sisters all live together. The other dupla is Sister Salies (Brazilian) and Sister Anderson (Coloradian). My companion is Sister Derrick from Kaysville. She´s been on her mission about 8 months, so just a little less than me. She´s the youngest child in her family. Pretty short, so I feel like a super giant around the little portuguese people. But luckily most of the ward here is african young men who are all pretty tall, so that helps.
The ward has about 100 people, including a bunch of kids so we have a pretty good Primary. Church was very interesting. It starts at 9:30 and sacrament meeting is last.
Big events of the week:
-One morning during studies some Jehovah´s Witnesses knocked on our door. They saw our nametags and said "Oh" and left.
-I had a terrible dream that all my teeth were breaking and falling out. All of them, starting in the back. All I had left were little nubs. And I just had all these pieces of teeth in my hand. And Mom just said "Don´t worry we´ll just put a sealant on it". I kept saying "A sealant is not going to fix this!" But then I woke up and my teeth were still in my mouth so that was a huge relief.
-It was "Dia das Mulheres" yesterday (woman´s day). Nothing happened.
-Mostly this week I just realized how hard it is going to be to leave Portugal. Just leaving an area was hard enough. Even though sometimes it´s super rough, I like it here.
I am feeling a little better than last week, but it´s still kind of hard. My companion and I are getting along well, but I still don´t really know her. Also, our area is HILLS. Just hills. We walk uphill bothways everywhere. I don´t understand the physics of it.
Also, one interesting thing. When a new transfer starts, you get a boost of energy, that helps you work and just live. In the beginning of the mission, the new-transfer-energy lasted me about 5 and a half weeks of the six. a couple of trasnfers ago, it lasted till about week three or four. This transfer it lasted until Thursday. Haha. I don´t know what it is about a mission that just wears you out but I am SO tired. And every day you are the most tired you have ever been in your life, but you know tomorrow you will set a new record. It is actually pretty incredible that anyone even survives their mission :) But that is where rgrace comes into play. I don´t know why it´s called "serving" a mission like you´re giving some sort of service or something because I am not giving anything. Heavenly Father is doing all of it, literally. Because I am just too worn out. And so He helps me get up and walk around and talk to people. So really He is just helping me. The whole time. And I´m not doing anything. It´s like Mosiah 2:21.
There is a family here that we´re working with. The dad is a member, for about two years, but the mom and two kids aren´t yet. They want to get baptized so have the "remission of sins", but they don´t seem to understand that there is a requirement part beforehand, to learn everything and start living everything. I think they think baptism just changes who you are. And it does, but only if you have prepared for that change. ANy ideas on how to help them?
Not much else happened this week. I still don´t really know where anything is or who anyone is so, no big news yet.
Thanks for all the emails and prayers. I love you all tons,
com amor,
Sister Gidney
P.s. Pictures of Marta´s baptism, and the district in Braga.

I hate transfers

Hi,
I will tell you about the week better. On Monday morning I got a phone call "Hey you need to come to Lisbon tomorrow". "What we have a baptism tomorrow" "Oh shoot are you serious?". But all the detail were worked out. We left Braga 5 pm and got to Lisbon around 11. We went to the meeting in the morning, but after lunch, I left with another sister from Porto. We took the train back up and made it back to Braga at 6 p.m. We went to the capela and... the font was empty! The elders were there running around freaking out. Sister Warburton and I said a prayer that the hot water would work and it started filling up. The elders were trying to attach a hose to the sink in the cleaning room so it would fillup faster but everything eventually worked out. The font filled up, and Marta got baptised!!! It was a really nice service. There were a lot of ward members there (including one who we had visited with her visiting teacher last week, so that was really nice).
On of the most wonderful parts about Marta´s baptism was not until Thursday. We always walk with her to English class and things like that. She used to walk pretty slowly, kind of like she was weighed down. And turns out she was--by sin. Because on thursday, after her baptism, we were walking with her to english class and she was walking quickly and bouncing and skipping like a new spring chicken. She was literally lighter and happier to the point that anyone would notice. Baptism. It really works.
Yesterday in Church Marta bore her testimony. She was the first one up. She said basically, when she first moved to portugal in november, she didn´t believe in God anymore because of all the bad things that had happened in her life. But then two girls showed up at her door, on her birthday, and started talking to her about a church. She started going and reading the BOok of Mormon and slowly, the stone that was her heart began to soften. She said, "I know they may leave, but they will always be in my heart. Friends forever. I believe in this church and I believe in the Book of Mormon". And she bore a wnoderful testimony, and even finished "In the name of Jesus Christ amen". It was so wnoderful. The spirit was so strong and it really set the tone for the rest of the meeting.
Last night we were ahving a barbecue for the end of the trasnfer at Marta´s when Sister Fluckiger called. "Sister Gidney you are leaving tomorrow". Then I started crying. I was in Braga for 3 transfers and with Sister Warburton for 2 and even though sometimes it was the hardest thing in the world it was also so wonderful and I didn´t want it to end. I am going to miss her and there and them so much. I already do. I think when I come home I am going to have an emotional breakdown because I can´t even get trasnferred without bawling my eyes out.
I miss you all and love you all tons.
Com amor,
Sister Gidney

7 more days

Ola família!
So not much happened this week. It was one of those crawling weeks. Mostly we just met with Marta. But a couple of fun things happened.
Turns out one of the less active members is in the mental hospital, so we visited her. It was not as weird as I expected. We sang some hymns with her and said a little prayer. And then the nurse asked if he could come to church. And as we were leaving the Spirit was like "Good job sisters". It was wonderful.
The other night we had a dinner with one of the members, Suzanah. She is from Finland, and speaks English but only a little bit of Portuguese so church is hard for her. But we are her friends now. Anyway, she made the best dinner I have had in Portugal--tacos! We were started the meal and realized the salsa jar wasn´t opened. It was jsut us three, since her husband was at work. But we thought we could open it. We tried and tried. Sister Warburton and I tried together. We used a towel. We ran it under hot water. We peeled off the label. And, nothing. The lid wouldn´t budge, even after 10 minutes. We were, of course, slightly crestfallen at the thought of salsa-less tacos, so we decided to give it one more crack. Sister Warburton said a quick prayer first, "Heavenly Father, we are going to try to open this salsa jar, but we really need your help. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen". And so we gave it one more try. We grabbed the lid, twisted, and... pop! It came off as easy as anything! "Ask, and it shall be opened unto you...."
Also: Deal of the week at Pingo Doce: Buy one pig foot and get a free umbrella!
Besides that, the only things exciting that have been happening are in our digestive system. We´ve had some strange meals given to us... If you were wondering, your instestines CAN do backflips.
Yep. That´s about it. Sister Warburton and I really love this video https://www.lds.org/youth/theme/2014?lang=eng
I hope you are all having good weeks. I love you lots and pray for you too!
Love,
Sister Gidney

Tea with a millionaire

Olaaaa,
This week was ridiculous!
So GUESS WHAT. MARTA IS GETTING BAPTIZED!! She finally finally said yes! We went over on wednesday morning, planning to read 3 Nephi 27. We read it with her and asked, so which side do you want to be on? The side that endures to the end or the one that´s lanced into the inferno? And she said, "Obviously I want to be on the side that perseveres to the end". So we used some other scriptures to explain that the way to ENTER onto the road of enduring to the end is by the door of baptism, and that we don´t have to ahve a perfect knowledge beforehand because the Holy Ghost will guide us. We invited her to be baptized on the 25th. She avoided answering and started asking a bunch of questions about what do you wear, who baptizes you, do you have to have a lot of people there, etc. After we answered, we sat in silence for about 30 seconds and she just looked down, thinking. Then she looked up at us, smiled, and said "Okay. The 25th then." So obviously we freaked out a little bit. We told her we were really happy and she said she is too :) I am so excited.
Almost as equally exciting, we met the ex-boyfriend of a less active member this week and he also wants to get baptized! Sergio. If you could keep both him and Marta in your prayers we would appreciate it!
On Thursday morning we contacted a mute lady. Either that or she was a very good actress. It was confusing. Maybe I´ll learn Portuguese sign language.
Last week we met this lady named Clementina (like the fruit). We had our first lesson with her this week and, turns out she´s a millionaire. She gave us some lemon juice-tea stuff and some delicious cookies. It was probably the most expensive snack I´ve ever had. We sat in a half-a-million-dollar apartment teaching a millionaire about Jesus! But it was actually a really wonderful lesson--she is one of the most genuine, sincere moms I have met here. She retired so she could be a stay-at-home mom, and she basically would make a wonderful LDS mom. We are really excited to keep teaching her (and not just for her tithing).
I hope you all had a fabulous Valentine´s day! I love you all tons!
Com amor,
Sister Gidney
p.s. a picture from Bom Jesus at sunset, and a codfish store. bacalhau....