June 25, 2012
I knew I was part African!!!! Well,
apparently only a few areas in Portugal have tons of Africans and I am being
sent to them all! Odivelas was one and Setubal is DEFINATELY another!!!
I knew my fascination and connection with Africa was for a reason!!!
Setubal is full of People from Santo Mé, Guninea, Angola and Cabo Verde!
I absolutely LOVE it here!!! I don´t know why the Lord keeps
blessing me with the best areas in Portugal. This ward is amazing.
I hear it is one of the strongest in Portugal. This area is poor
poor poor, lots of drunk and drugged people, our beds are on the floor of our
apartment, BUT I LOVE IT!!!!! The people are sooo kind and so humble and
willing to listen. We had a day this week where we found 9 new
investigators!!!! INCREDIBLE!!! I absolutely love this area!!!
We have the ocean in our area! There is a nice sea breeze- helps so
much with the heat. I can glimpse the ocean every day and it fills me
with so much joy! Although Satan uses it against me a lot to remind me of
beach reunions, but that’s okay. There are a bunch of tables on the side
of the roads where people sell snails- people buy huge bags and cook them and I
guess suck the snail out. I have had some exciting meals of sea food.
The Europe futbal tournament is going on and it is CRAZY here!!!
You know there is a game because everyone dresses up and then no one is
one the street at night. We are walking along and then an explosion of
cheers, horns, trumpets, screams come from every direction. It is so
FUN!!! Portugal Portugal!!! I absolutely LOVE my companion.
Irmã Campos da Silva is from France- as I said last time. Someone
tell Ben Portwood!- he lived in her house at one point on his mission! I guess
the Lord really really wants me to learn Portuguese. I spoke only Portuguese
with Irmã Dos Santos last transfer and now only Portuguese with Irmã Campos-
except this time is a bit harder because when we can´t understand each other I
can´t just show the word in the dictionary to Irmã Campos because she is
learning too. It is fun. I am so grateful for these opportunities
to have companions from different countries to learn from their cultures and to
learn Portuguese very fast because i am forced to speak it all the time. She
has a VERY thick French accent, but after a couple of days I got used to it and
now can understand her Portuguese. :) I love the mission.
Parents, I want to thank you for always paying your
tithing and having such a strong testimony of it. I am able to use our
family as an example of always paying tithing and always having enough- it is
so powerful. Thank you for your examples and testimonies. We have a
large pool of investigators- Irmã Campos has been here for 4 transfers and
knows pretty much everyone! Thank heaven that there aren´t as many
Jehovah´s witnesses here as there were in Odivelas. But there still are a
few- they are the bane of my existence. ugh, i seem to find them
everywhere. We share the ward with Elders- our area is pretty small, but
stock full of eleitos. We taught this woman this week named Conçeição.
She told us earlier this week that she knows the church is true! She
reads the Book of Mormon and has accepted everything! She broke down
crying one day and told us how her husband went crazy not to long ago and said
he would kill their children- really scary. It has been horrible, but the
Savior spoke through us as we comforted her and told her about the blessings of
the gospel and how growing closer to the Savior and baptism will bless her life
immensely. It was a really tender moment. I am so grateful that I am able to
promise these blessings from the Lord. I am so grateful that I can be
used to help others feel the love of the Savior. Getting a new companion
has been really different. I like seeing how another missionary works.
I am learning a lot from Irmã Campos- she is SO loving and so patient and
kind. We visited a menos ativo named Edson. He is prob 25 and
drinks and smokes a lot. He knows that he needs to change and a part of
him wants to, but he can´t seem to do it. As we were talking with him he
said that he wishes he could be baptized all over again to start a new and be
clean. I was filled with the spirit as I talked about the Sacrament.
How I love the sacrament. I am so grateful for this opportunity to
learn so much more and appreciate the gospel. When we partake of the
Sacrament we renew our baptismal covenants- it is as if we ARE being baptized
all over again. We can repent, change, and take the Sacrament and we have
the Lord´s promise that we will have the Holy Ghost if we keep the commandments
and always remember Jesus Christ. I am so grateful that I can take the
Sacrament every week. What a grand blessing!!! I am so grateful for
the Atonement. I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He died for
me. I am so grateful to get to know Him better on my mission. He is
always here for us knocking at the door- but we must let Him in. I have
been thinking a lot about Jerusalem lately- every time I think about it I
almost cry and am just filled with so much gratitude and love for that
life-changing experience.
Can you find out Jessi Pitcher´s address for me?
This was our last full week with President Torgan.
I love that man- he is SO powerful and so spiritual. I have learned
a TON from him and from revelados. President Fluckiger will arrive this
week. Don´t know how the mission with change, but I will do my best to
serve however he says.
I am so grateful for this adventure. I am so
grateful for the cultures and different people I am getting to know. I
want to give my heart to Setubal. I want to give my heart to my mission-
to the Lord. I am always trying to be better. Being in a different
area with a different companion helped me realize lots of things that I needed
to change, and as always repent. Thank you for your support and love.
This is the ONE and ONLY true church of Jesus Christ with the FULNESS of
the gospel. I testify of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hurrah for ISRAEL!!!!
Irmã Tingey
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