Eat Pray Love

10-15-12

I realized that this title also applies to my mission. haha

Another hard, but AWESOME week on the mission!  I have never felt-in my ENTIRE life- Satan´s influence (right word?) so strong as I have this week.  He is just working on us and this area to the max.  The beginning of the week was suave.  We taught Paulo everyday- getting him ready for baptism.  Everything was going smooth- he was so happy, every lesson was a Spiritual high amazingness and he was filled with the desire to repent and change his life through the Atonement.  Then came Friday- the day for his interview with the elders- and he simplesmente disappeared.  He is normally always in his house and he wasn´t and his family said he didnt come home that night until 11.  We thought he might have found some work, but then Saturday he wasn´t there and sunday he was gone too.  It was heartbreaking.  We have no idea what happened.  Definately opposition.  So Friday I was so sad and then Satan creeped in and I let him take me down and I was just feeling awful about myself- about the work that I am doing, etc. and I almost had a nervous/depressed breakdown.  Then Saturday morning Heavenly Father loving showed me that I was being silly and to snap out of it and be happy and positive!  I felt a lot of peace and comfort and joy.  And my mind set totally switched and I became so happy and positive and I was able to help my companion- who the same thing that happened to me Friday, happened to her Saturday.  We just need to trust in the Lord and do our part.  We need to keep fighting and enduring to the end happily- because this work IS happiness.  It is pure happiness.  There are just sad choices that we or others make along the way that puts us down, but we always have hope through Jesus Christ.  Something I was taught here on the mission is to always start off a prayer with thanks and repentance.  to ALWAYS repent.  We as missionaries need to do everything possible we can to help others except the gospel.  If we are just a little disobedient, we won´t receive the blessings that we and others need,.  We need to be repenting consistently consistently consistently.  To always be worthy.  So then came the question in my mind of well when I am really positive, sometimes I don´t push myself the way I need to to demand excellence of myself- so where do you find that balance?  In personal study today I read in Alma 32- the first part of that chapter is about humility, the second part is about faith.  The secret to this question is sufficient humility.  We need to be humble all the time instead of being compelled to be humble.  To be humble we must believe in the word of God, and not be stubborn to do His will, and to realize that we are nothing, but that we are special because we are real sons and daughters of Him.  If we are humble all the time, we will not have to be compelled to be humble- that doesn’t mean that we wont have trials- but that in our trials we will be happy because we are already humble and we trust in the Lord´s will.  So we can demand excellence out of ourselves with humility and be positive and happy all the time.  I don’t know if I am explaining this to understanding, but hopefully you can get something out of it. :)

We taught a FAMILY this week!  A real family!  They really really need the gospel in their lives!  They are very humble but think that we are here on the earth to suffer. Nem Quase! (not even close!) I am so excited to see this gospel bless and change their lives forever!  One of our investigators named Patricia is SO cute and so fun and we LOVE talking to her so much!  She made us dinner the other day and we taught the first lesson and she had already read a lot about Joseph Smith on the internet and said a lot of people write really bad things about it but she knows they are wrong and she knows he was right.  And she already knows the church is true because she felt different in church- a feeling she never felt in any other church!  YEA!!!!!  WOOHOOO!!!  AND another miracle- one of our investigators(from the other sisters before) named Nuno is really hard to get a hold of and we had an appointment marked with him that night, but he said he wouldn´t be able to make it, but we asked if we could talk with him for a couple of minutes right there and we taught him a little about the Plan of Salvation and invited him to be baptized and he said that is what he really wants.  I LOVE THIS WORK!!!  We taught him the first lesson a couple of days later with his mom and he accepted everything.  The work is moving forward.

Theme of this week: Be happy and humble!  Have faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement and repent SEMPRE!!! (ALWAYS!!!!)  I sure love you all a ton and can´t thank you enough for all that you have done for me.  The more time I have on the mission, the more I realize how imperfect I am, but the more I repent and change and come unto Christ.  I am so grateful to be here.  I am so grateful to bring this knowledge unto others.  Every challenge is worth it.  I wouldn´t trade this for anything.  I know that this is the true and only church of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I testify that He lives.  I know that He suffered every little and big thing that we suffer.  I love Him with my whole heart and am so grateful.  I know the Book of Mormon is true.  Hurrah for Israel!!!

Welcome home Isaac!  And welcome home Amy Brown on Wednesday!!!  write me some letters in Portuguese! :)

com muito amor,
Irmã Tingey

The Second Coming is so Close

10-8-12

My heart is absolutely full.  I am just sitting here in this little internet cafe with a feeling of peace and calm and gratitude.  Yes, I am crying.  Conference was just more than I could have asked for.  I keep thinking of the missionary announcement and Elder Holland´s talk- `Do. you. love me.?´ I hope that the Lord doesn´t doubt for one moment that I love Him.  I was absolutely freaking out at the missionary announcement.  This week my companion and I were talking about how close the second coming is and how we thought the leaders would make some big announcement that proved it.  Well they did.  And I could not sit still- I was crying, laughing, squealing, you name it.  And all I could think of was the Lord needs more missionaries NOW.  I can just imagine the forces- the battalions of missionaries that are going to hit the world.  And I just get goose bumps all over and I am just OVER JOYED!!!  And I couldn´t stop thinking about my Abby.  Abby just do it!  Dad said you feel that you should go in the Spring and I don´t want you to think twice about it.  Yes, I am sad that I won´t see you, but it is worth it!  Go when the Lord tells you to and do not delay.  You are so special- you have been held for this time- this moment when the gospel is going to hit the world like it has never before.  I have no doubt that you volunteered for this before you came here.  The Lord needs your talents and your testimony- you have been prepared for this your whole life!  I dreamed -just in my head- that you would be called to the Portugal Mission and that I would be your trainer.  THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE!!!  Well I know we can dream, but I know that you will be called to where you need to be.  Keep me up dated on EVERYTHING- when your papers go in, and your feelings and everything.  I will do my best to help prepare you- as I am sure Ali, B-ran, Ben, Jackie and Dad will.  And as for you, Jack.  I know you have been preparing your whole life too.  Keep going. prepare prepare prepare.  Every scripture mastery you master will bless you and your future investigators.  Everything you learn- read Preach My Gospel NOW!!! I am SOOOO EXTREMELY EXCITED, STOKED for the missionary work!!!  I am so excited to see this work hit like a tidal wave!!!  I expect TONS more missionaries and I am so excited for the Second Coming that is SO CLOSE!!!  I just want Him to come!!!  I AM SO EXCITED!!!!  This is a chosen generation.  You can bet your bottom dollar that BYU is going to lose A LOT of its students next semester!!!  OH MY GOODNESS!!!  Was that Savannah who already has her interviews set up?  WAY TO GO!!!  The Lord needs us.  He needs every effort.  Every soul who has a desire to serve.  If you have a desire to serve- you are called to the work!!!  Don´t walk, RUN!!!

Okay, this week was truly incredible.  We are finally seeing the success of our labors!  The first three weeks were super hard, but the fruit and the miracles are coming!!!  So a couple of weeks ago I stopped this woman on the street because I swore I had already known her.  Well, I probably knew her in the pre-existence because she is from Hungary and hardly speaks any Portuguese!!  (and no English)  We saw her again and her husband on the street and they told us where there house is.  So we visited them one night and the spirit was just so sweet and so strong!!!  One of their friends speaks broken Portuguese so she was able to translate a bit.  But even though we couldn´t communicate very well, we all felt the Spirit immensely.  I felt so much love for them that I started to cry a bit!  They are So special and so humble.  We gave them the Finding Faith in Christ DVD that doesn´t even have Hungarian, but they watched it on  their own in Portuguese and said they loved it!  We were able to get Hungarian copies of the Book of Mormon and we printed some talks for them.  Every time we go over there are more friends and family from Hungary or Romania.  I just LOVE these people and I know I was supposed to find them here in Portugal!  Oh and Isolta -the woman- has one year here in Portugal.  I was filled with gratitude for the gift of tongues.  I only have six months in Portugal and I can speak and understand a lot- thanks to the Lord and my calling.  What miracles. The weather here is still like Summer- HOT.  Does not feel like October at all.

Another amazing miracle.  The Lord´s timing is just so perfect!!  One of our appointments fell and we walked through this  more dangerous neighborhood and heard a man call out the window ´Meninas!´´or ´Girls!´ And usually when this happens we don´t really pay attention because usually the last thing they want is the gospel, but then he called out ´Mormons!´  And so we turned back and talked to him from his window.  His name is Paulo and he is so golden.  We talked about the gospel, about Jesus Christ and the Atonement in just a few phrases and he said he has a desire to change his life, he needs help, he wants to change and he would ´adore´ to be baptized.  We felt the spirit so strongly with his sincerity so we prayed right there and marked him for baptism for this coming Sunday!!!  He is soooo awesome!!!  He told us that he smokes 6 PACKS of cigarettes a day- that is 120 cigarettes.  The next day he had only smoked 8.  And yesterday he only smoked 2 and he said he wouldn´t smoke any today!!!  The Atonement is amazing!!!  I LOVE this work!!!  He is so ready- so prepared by the Lord.  We just have the privilege to find and teach him. 

There is a mormon message that is in Portugal called ´Blessings of the Temple.´ You should watch it!  Irmã Fluckiger showed us.  We had Zone conference on Friday and it was so awesome.  I have had some trouble with what me and my comp. call ´The Fluckigan´complex- applying what we learned from Pres. Torgan but doing what President Fluckiger asks now.  They are SOO different, but I have been figuring it out and putting it together and have been blessed.  I love both of those men with all my heart and have the highest respect from them.  We were challenged by Pres. Fluckiger to read the gospels before Christmas- to save the scriptures of when Christ was born until Christmas time and to also read parts of ´Jesus the Christ´ in our studies- to really get to know the Savior and learn from His example.  So far it has been INCREDIBLE and I am so grateful for this challenge!  I invite you all to do it to- I really believe it will make this Christmas a Christmas never to be forgotten as we constantly focus on the Savior starting now- and then continue on even afterward!

I am so grateful for Conference- my questions and concerns were answered and I received so much strength, love, and yes, faca from the Lord.  It was amazing and I cannot wait to read all the talks!!!  I love you all so much.  I have no doubts that this church is Christ´s church- he is literally the head of this church.  We need to have faith with the revelations we receive and go forward with them, doubting nothing- that is something Pres. Torgan taught me.  IF you feel someone will be baptized a certain day- you do not doubt and you do everything you can to help/make it happen.  Let´s apply that- to have faith and trust in the Lord with our personal revelations and ACT NOW.  You are all amazing examples to me.  I have no doubts that the Book of Mormon is true and that President Monson is the prophet of God.  HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!  Let´s prepare for the Second coming with joy and anticipation and think of how we will arrive at the judgement bar of God.  We must prepare today.  LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!!!

Irmã Tingey

P.S. I’m a missionary.  Ask me!!

12 days until Conference

9-24-12

I am SOOO excited for General Conference!!!  We have a countdown in our planners!  WOOHOO!!!!!  I am so excited to hear what the Lord wants us to do at this time!  We also listen to MoTab a lot to get even more excited!  Start preparing your questions- but chances are they will get answered before hand in church or something because the spirit is amazing and Heavenly Father doesn’t want us to live in confusion.

When does Isaac get home?  And what mission is he serving in Brasil and where did Andrew serve?  I know a little more about Brasil now, so I can imagine what it was like more.

White washes are hard.  But I feel the strength of the Lord and we feel like the work is finally moving a bit more again.  This has really made me appreciate the work the missionaries before do in each area.  The Lord and my companion are teaching me to be patient and to love and be grateful for every minute.  One night during planning I was frustrated and felt like we hadn´t made any difference.  My comp. said hold up! and went through every hour of the day and talked about each person we talked with, each card we handed out, each invitation we made, and how we made people feel the love of the Lord.  I am learning that if we focus on the big things we miss the small, happy moments.  Elder Uchtdorf talked about that in his talk ´forget me not´.  When we don’t have baptisms every week I get anxious and down on myself because I know that it is possible in every single area to have a baptism every week and I know that Heavenly Father is sad when no one is baptized.  But I also know that He is happy when we do our best and when we plant seeds and help the members and less actives and when we follow the spirit and when we try our best to be 100% obedient.  But we can’t get lost in the big stuff.  We need to enjoy every small, happy moment.

We visited and got to know most of the members this week and we feel their love.  I have never been in a ward/branch where the members love the missionaries so much.  We had a sweet experience with a member named Paulo.  He is SO cool!!!  He is a DJ and was baptized a couple of years ago.  We went to his house and he made a list of people we can talk to, of people he thinks are interested.  So we made plans for him to talk to them and introduce us.  And Nato, the first counselor reminded him to pray about the list and I suggested we pray right then and there and we felt the same people to focus on and it was so awesome because Paulo received personal revelation and freaked out with excitement when others felt the same thing and he was SO EXCITED!!!!!  he called the people right then and we marked some compromissos.  It was such a good experience- I will do this with all the members.  Well, the ones who are willing and will make a list of friends.  So much of it is in the members hands.  I am so grateful to be serving with willing members- who have the missionary fire!  Paulo was incredulous when we told him this is what we do each week in weekly planning- praying to know specifically the people we should focus on for baptism and other things and I realized I have been taking this revelation and experiences for granted.  Missionary work is amazing and we receive so much power and strength and direction from the Lord.  This is His work.

A young girl in the ward, Isabela, said that she wants us to teach her friend- her friend has already expressed she wants to be baptized! As we planned with Isabela what we wanted to teach her she got so excited and was filled with the spirit of missionary work- she wants to share the gospel with more friends and she said she wants the branch full of young people!!!

We talked to this women smoking out of her window one night and promised her that if she would continue to listen to us and search for herself the truth of our message her husband would find a job.  We saw her again the other night and she was so excited to tell us that her husband found a job and she thought of us as soon as she found out.

We visited a menos ativo family- Familia Moreno.  they talked to us for a long time about how they were treated badly by ward members in Faro and why they fell away.  It broke my heart.  They should know better, but those members also did wrong.  I am not pointing fingers at anyone, but it broke my heart how the enemy uses people in the church for bad.  I almost cried when he told us that the missionaries do amazing work but the members destroy everything we do.  I know that isn’t true all the time, but I have seen it many times in my mission and it breaks my heart.  The devil is so good at what he does.  And we all just need to be careful and strengthen our personal testimonies so he doesn´t use us to bring down the church.  We are not perfect, and we need to understand that no one is, but Satan is real and we need to protect and fight.

Yesterday we taught primary and principios do evangelho.  I love small branches.  it reminds me of our experiences as a family serving in the church with areas without lots of members.  I love my mission.

Elder Holland gave a talk in Priesthood session 2 conferences ago and he talked about what happened before the first vision.  Joseph said he felt his tongue was bound.  And Elder Holland said (talking about the devil) ´But apparently his effort to s top the work will be reasonably well served if he can just bind the tongue of the faithful.´ Powerful.  We just need to open our mouths!  And the enemy wins when we don’t.

I love you all SOO much!!!  With my whole heart!!!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Jack!!!!  I love you so much!!!  You deserve the best.  Just look through my telescope I made you and think of me saying Tender!  Love you love you love you!!!!

Irmã Tingey

White washes

9-17-12

Okay, so I know I said all this stuff about how I love Setubal and how I am going to miss it- which I love it and I DO miss it, but wow.  I LOVE Olhão.  This area is INCREDIBLE!!!!  So white washes are insane.  We got off the bus and just kind of stood there like ´Where are we?´ We didn´t know anyone and it was so fun!!!  Our noses were in the map all week and it was such an adventure!  We had so much fun discovering this new little city- and what amazing discoveries we have made!!!  It is soooo beautiful and old here and it is on the water so we see the ocean and we can smell it everywhere and one day we found this beautiful dock with boats and ate sandwiches and Portugal pastries.  You just got to have little moments of felizidade and relaxation like this on the mission.  It is weird having an English companion.  I must admit I have been speaking a lot of English, but I will get back to speaking portuguese all the time.  One day I locked myself in the bathroom on accident and it was hilarious.  The handle just wouldn´t work so we prayed and we got it open and laughed some more.  Who locks themselves in the bathroom?!

Okay, this branch is OFF THE HOOK!!!!  I LOVE THESE MEMBERS!!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!!  I don´t know how in the world I was blessed to be here.  WOW.  Let me just explain.  First off our Branch President.  He is from São Tome- off the coast of Africa- and he has been a member for 2 years.  2 YEARS!!!  And he is INCREDIBLE!!!  He is so humble and trusts in us like crazy.  he gives us bones- or pounds us (fist to fist) all the time.  The first counselor is originally from Cabo Verde and is HYSTERICAL!!!  His name is Nato and He and President are hilarious together.  They are best buds and joke and laugh all the time.  They are truly happy in the work of the Lord.  They had a meeting with us our second day- just them two.  I have never had that happen before.  Bishops usually don´t ever talk to us unless we ask for a special meeting.  I am learning so much about the member I want to be and how the work should be- with members. They discouraged us to contact in the street- unless of course we are prompted to- but to just work with the members- that every one has references and are willing to give them and are excited about the work. EVERY MISSIONARIES DREAM!!!  They are just so humble and we shared some of our ideas and they got super excited and the meeting was so awesome- the spirit was so strong and I was prompted to just bare my testimony at the end and tell them that we are there to do the will of the Lord.  And then Irmã Boshard and Nato and President bore their testimonies and it was awesome!!!!  Sunday was INCREDIBLE also- I have never worked with members like this- who LOVE the missionaries and who want to give references and want to teach with us and help us.  We marked apts. with everyone we talked to- we are going to go to every members house a couple of times this transfer and just work through them- that is how the work should be.  This branch is teaching me for life.  There were only about 40 people in our little chapel- the norm., but we are going to visit the menos ativos.  Yesterday we walked with the Branch President and Nato and his wife who is the Relief Society President to visit a menos ativo.  They were laughing and joking the whole way and dancing- Nato took a hold of a stop sign and lifted himself parallel to the pole- like a break dancer.  It was awesome!!! hahaha.  I love these people so much!!!  We went to the menos ativos house and wow. THAT is how you re-activate people.  They were just friends with them- laughing, cracking jokes again and just speaking and testifying with humility and from the heart.  They asked if the missionaries (us, who were there with them) could come and visit them and help them out.  It was SO effective- they got to know us, people in the ward, they felt the spirit, our love, our friendship, it was just amazing.  I will never forget that.  I just love these members and the people here.  Oh and guess what.  I am playing the piano for the Branch.  yeah I know.  what the heck!!!  I don´t know what got into me- usually I hide the fact that I can play a bit and pretend I can´t.  But the Holy Ghost just opened my mouth and I told Nato I would play every Sunday because no one does.  And get this- there is a working key board in our apartment!!!  When does that ever happen?!?!?!  SO I practiced everyday this week before bed and I played Sunday.  It wasn’t horrific, but lots of room for improvement. :)  But I am determined to try and help this branch out as much as I can.  The small things make a difference.  

I have to tell you all about this amazing contact we made this week.  Actually first off I LOVE Irmã Boshard!!!  SHE IS WONDERFUL!!! So so so powerful.  She is helping me so much.  We are helping each other demand excellence in ourselves and we are both just invested in the work and are on the same page.  I just love her soo so so much.  I am so blessed to be with her!  Okay, so we were walking around with our nose in the map trying to find someone´s house and these three guys were sitting outside a cafe and called us.  You have to be careful in these kinds of situations but we felt okay with talking with them.  Two of them are recent converts- one of those RC had a beer in his hand.  The other not RC also had a beer.  So we talked to them, got to know them, taught a bit for the guy who didn’t know anything about the church and then I asked if I could take away his beer (but actually I messed some words up and I actually asked if I could take some beer like if I could drink some of it, but Irmã Boshard saved me hahahahaha - for those Port. speakers I said tomar instead of tirar. it was pretty funny)  but he dumped his beer and the recent convert dumped his beer and we helped them decide to not drink again.  It was AWESOME!!!!  I love this work.  I feel Heavenly Father´s love for these people.  and for me.  I am so grateful for these members.  There are some young adults who are giving us tons of references and drive people everywhere and bring us food and I want to be just like them.  They are rocks in the gospel.  The architecture and scenery here is just breath taking.  Portugal is so gorgeous!  I am so blessed to be here!!!!  

Pray for: Gomes, Nuno, Claro, Marina and Marcus, Familia Moreno, Carlos, Eugenio, Grandma of Maura, Paulo´s friends, and these members.  

I learned so much from Pres. Torgan, and I am learning so much from Pres. Fluckiger!  i LOVE working through the members.  I am curious mom, what did that women say about Pres. Torgan?  I love you all with my whole heart.  Sometimes I think ´How can I feel more love than I am feeling now?´ But my heart just keeps growing and makes space.  I LOVE my mission.  I LOVE Olhão.  I just love this.  This church is true and it is worth everything we have- every sacrifice.  The Lord is with us in everything- make sure you open the door and ask for help.  The Book of Mormon is true.  The Lord will use our talents, like he used Ammon´s. We are in the places we are in for reasons- there are people we need to talk too, there are hands and hearts we need to lift.  Ask Heavenly Father every day how you can help someone.  How you can help build the Kingdom.  Nato, a couple of years ago made a goal to get to know 2 people each day.  at least.  I want to make that goal.  And whenever we walk with him pretty much every other person talks to him, waves at him, shakes his hand, honks there horn, it is awesome.  He is off the hook.  Work with the missionaries in your ward.  Feed them- have them in your home.  Make a list of 20 people you think are ready for the gospel and then ask Heavenly Father who you should focus on.  Give references.  If every member did this the earth would explode of missionary work and I personally think the Second Coming would come right afterward.  Let´s do it!!!!  HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!!

com muito mutio amor, 

Irmã Tingey

PS-we could get our sister plaques any day now.  so relish the time you call me Irmã. haha

FOGO!!!

9-10-12

FOGO FOGO FOGO!!!!  WHAT THE HECK!!!  I AM BEING TRANSFERRED!!!!!  AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!

oh my goodness gracious mother of pearl.  I am so excited and SOO sad at the same time!!!!  I am leaving Setubal.  I feel like I am leaving my home and my family.  I absolutely LOVE this ward and this area.  I love the people here.  My family is here!  Arlete and her family are here.  FOGO!!!  drat.  On the other hand I am going to the Algarve- the preferred vacation spot in Portugal- even hotter than here!  I might die.  My area is called Olhão and I will be serving with Irmâ Boshard- a rock star missionary that everyone wants to serve with!  AND it’s a pink wash!! Meaning both sisters that were there are leaving and we are going in blind- not knowing anyone or anything.  YAHHOOOO!!!  It’s going to be for an adventure.  Well, I prayed that this coming transfer that I can step up.  Prayers are always transferred. MAN!  I thought FOR SURE me and Irmâ Suzarte and I would be staying here together and baptizing Arlete and familia.  I am sooo sad to leave them- my comp. and my family.  I feel like my heart is being split in half. blast.

Anyways, about my week- Started off INCREDIBLE!!! We had family night at Arlete´s house with her family and they are HYSTERICAL!!!!  (We usually teach Arlete in her cafe)The dad is a big tough guy but really a softie deep down.  We joked and talked and all of us were just filled with pure JOY.  We shared a spiritual message about faith and even though the dad always is joking and laughing he kept silent and paid attention.  The spirit was so strong.  He said he would read the Book of Mormon...if there was a copy in the bathroom.  haha.  We ate dinner again at their house last night and it was a more intense discussion on religion.  The husband said if we were elders he wouldn’t let us in the house.  But the spirit is touching his heart and I know he will be baptized and they will be sealed and I will see the sealing!! I HAVE to!!!!  He hadn´t read the Book of Mormon yet because they hadn’t put it in the bathroom yet.  So before we left I took a BoM and put it in the bathroom for him. no excuses this time! hahaha.  I love this family with my whole heart!!  Sergio is baptized, and the Mom is a dry member- practically a member jus not baptized- knows the church is true, has felt the spirit like crazy with us and personally.  I can´t wait for letters from Irmâ Suzarte to tell me what happens!!!  I am dreading saying goodbye to Arlete tonight- there will be lots of tears.

Another AMAZING thing this week.  Elder Rasband of the 70 and Elder Teixera and Bishop Causse visited the mission and we had a huge mission conference.  137 missionaries (not all came) in a tiny chapel in Lapa with NO air conditioning.  It was killer, but the Spirit was there all the same- EXTREMELY strong!!!  I wish I could share all my notes but just can´t.  They talked a bit about how they have heard about our mission all the way from Salt Lake and Bishop Causse had a hidden agenda to find out how our mission has so many baptisms, but they said it is because of the fundamentals but we still can be doing better.  We can ALWAYS be doing better.  They answered questions and OH MAN the spirit was SOOO strong!!!  Afterward I wanted to run up and talk to every single person I saw and tell them that Jesus Christ LIVES and we have a prophet TODAY!!!!!  But we had to run to catch the train.  Did I mention we travel by train?  It is so awesome and beautiful.  OH m sandals broke in half this week.  Something Elder Rasband said that struck me was that Pres. Hinckley liked to ask him if his testimony of Jesus Christ is burning as brightly as it did when he was a young missionary.  And then Elder Rasband said if our testimony is not burning brightly to throw wood on that fire as fast as possible by studying him, praying, acting like Him, etc.  My focus for this transfer is Jesus Christ.  Making Him the focus of every single one of my lessons and studying Him like crazy.  I testify that He LIVES!!! The Atonement is so real and so incredible!!! I love my Savior Jesus Christ.  And even though I am so sad to leave this area, I know that the Lord has put me where He wants me and I will find yet more people that I promised I would find in the pre-earth life.  I am so grateful for this privilege to be here.  I LOVE BEING A MISSIONARY!!!!  I feel the fire and I want to share it.  Give references to the missionaries!!  GO teach with them, invite friends to your house and have the missionaries there too!!! Members are SOOO important!!!  I love you all with my whole heart!!!! Fica bem/FIRME. 

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!

com muito muito muito amor,

Irmâ Tingey

Called to serve him

9-3-12

Mais uma vez, Eu vos-amo!!!

First of all, ABBY!!!!  I am so glad that the boys at BYU are recognizing the treasure before them. :)  but....Okay, I can miss Ali and B-ran´s wedding because they already planned it and couldn´t wait, and I can miss the first year of Ian´s life because this is the time I need to be here and the time he needed to arrive, but I put my foot down with missing Abby´s wedding.  You are just going to have to wait.  B-ran and Ali- if things get too crazy get the baseball bat out for me because I can´t just travel to BYU and scare all the boys away until I am done with my mission.  Abby- cuidade. :) hahaha  

I LOVE MY MISSION!!!  Yesterday for Sacrament meeting I brought two questions for the Lord.  They were: How can I better use the Atonement?  and How can I better help my investigator use the Atonement better?  Well, the personal answer for me was while I was taking the Sacrament.  I felt the spirit testify to me once again the Jesus Christ died for me and that these covenants I am making are real.  And I truly felt the cleansing affect of the Atonement.  I truly felt changed and that I was forgiven and  that the Atonement is real.  I realized that when I focus so much more on repenting throughout the week then I prepare the whole week so much better for the Sacrament and the Sacrament becomes the experience it needs to be.  Sanctifying, renewing of covenants, and feeling clean again- just like baptism.  And as for the question for my investigators- I felt extremely strong to bear my testimony.  I felt that someone needed to hear something and that the Lord would tell me what to say.  I bore a simple and clear testimony about the Savior and About the Atonement.  I testified that the Atonement is real and that we can really change.  But I don’t really know what else I said.  Something amazing happened when I was speaking.  I didn´t have to think about the Portuguese grammar or words.  It just came out.  I really don’t know what all I said- but it was all about the Savior and I felt so much fire from the Spirit and so much power from the words I said.  It was amazing.  And one more time the Spirit testified to me of the reality of the Atonement.  That I have changed personally and it doesn´t matter what people have done- there is NOTHING the Atonement can´t heal.  This is the whole reason I am here.  To testify of Christ.  I know that my Savior lives.  I know He died for us.  Please use the Atonement.  Repent every day.  This is what He wants us to do- to use His sacrifice the most and best we can.

Okay funny story.  But I promised that my family would not call the office in an outrage, tão bem?!  It all started Thursday night.  Me and Irmã Suzarte travelled to Quinta da Conde to spend the night with other Irmãs- me and another Irmã were to travel the next morning to Lisboa to renew our visas and get residency cards.  I had a dream the night before that I was back at BYU talking to my freshman guy friends about our missions.  But I knew that if I had talked to Alexandre one more time she would have been baptized.  And I was so sad that I only had 10 baptisms because I knew that I could have worked harder and had more- helped more people.  In short, I didn´t feel like I finished my mission.  So in the place to renew our visas Elder Kindt was talking to a woman at the desk and we knew something was wrong.  The woman was waving my passport in the air and elder Kindt looked like he had had a stroke.  I knew something was wrong and I remembered my dream and thought ´oh my goodness I cannot be sent home early because my visa isn´t working!!!´ Finally Elder Kindt returned but he didn’t tell us anything.  Come to find out my visa had expired- I should have come in earlier- and i was in the country illegally and I was going to be deported!  But because the Lord watches over His missionaries- their hearts were softened and they renewed my things all right.  hahahaha.  WOW!!!  Almost deported to the US.  but don’t call the office, okay?! hahahaha

We had zone conference!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PACKAGE!!!! I LOVED IT!!!!!  HOLY COW MOM YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!!!!  I LOV EYO USOOOOOO MUCH!!!!  I felt so special and so loved.  You made me soooo happy!!! I cannot thank you enough!!! thank you thank you thank you!!!!!

Something about the Children of Israel- the Lord didn´t just choose random people to make a covenant with and to bless- the people choose Him.  We choose to be chosen sons and daughters of God.  God doesn´t chose us.  I am sorry I don´t have much time- don´t know where the time goes these days!  But I love you all with my whole heart!!!

Hurrah For Israel!!!

LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOU!!!!

Irmã Tingey

Heart full of love

8-27-12

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS!!! I just love you all soo so  SOOOO much!!! My heart literally feels like it is going to burst.  I really want to express my love for you all but I just can´t.  Because words just can´t describe.  frustrating. haha.  But just know that I love you all.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your e-mails.  They fill my reserve for the week and give me strength to fight- don´t worry- fight for good. =)  

As we taught Arlete this week we talked about how Sergio, her son, could serve a mission.  And then I saw the fear in her as she realized that she wouldn´t be able to talk to him for 2 years and she asked us if the church was so focused on families, then why can´t missionaries call home every day or see family?  As we tried to explain that we need to focus 100% on the people we are serving, she made the point that doesn´t it help just to talk to the family for 15 minutes each day- we can still be focused but at the end of the day talk to our family and receive comfort ourselves and give comfort to them and share our experiences that we have every day.  As she was talking I was thinking ´hmmm, maybe that would help. Why can´t we talk more with our families?´ but I explained that we trust in our leaders that they receive revelation and that these rules are for the best.  That we really can´t focus on the work 100 % if we always talk with our families.  But then a thought came into my mind that i had never thought about before- We aren´t allowed to have lots of communication with our families because we need to learn to communicate with our Father in Heaven.  If we talk to our families, than we don´t talk to Him.  We need to learn to rely on Him for everything.

This week was tough- as every week on the mission is- but as always worth everything.  Maria Grassiete simplesmente decided she didn´t want the church anymore.  That life is good now and she doesn´t need help anymore.  It was heartbreaking.  We did everything we could, but she lost her desire and didn´t want it back.  triste.  But we had lots of amazing lessons.  We are teaching a women named Alexandra- don’t remember if I already talked about her, but she was a drug addict and prostitute but she is totally changing her life around.  She is truly incredible.  It is amazing to see the Atonement of Jesus Christ touch her life.  Her desires and actions have changed.  She is off drugs now and she is reading the Book of Mormon like crazy!  She takes notes of the scriptures we read in the lessons and she is so positive even though lots of things in her life right now are super hard.  What an incredible example of faith and desire and repentance.  

Yesterday was super hard and me and my comp. were really sad.  We had plans to do a division because we had so many people planning on coming to church.  But in the end no one came.  It was awful.  And our baptism fell through and it was just knives being twisted in our hearts.  But I received a call last night from the Irmãs in Odivelas- my first area.  Two sisters who I love dearly and who are incredible missionaries.  They asked me if I remembered a woman named Fatima.  I didn´t, but I looked in my old agenda and asked if it was maria fatima fernandes.  And she said yes and that she was baptized yesterday!!!!  Me and Irmã Dos Santos ran after this woman to talk to her and we prayed with her on the street and felt so good about her but we could never talk to her because she didn´t have time or something or other.  But she was baptized!  And Irmã Baer said it was all me- but clearly it was not.  But she showed up in church one day and has just thrived and was baptized!  And Carlos one of my recent converts is preparing for the temple!  And I wrote a note for Irmã bear before I left Odivelas telling her to baptize Antonio and she did!  Antonio was another person I felt SO strongly to talk to on the bus and he was progressing so well before I left.  SO MUCH JOY FILLED MY SOUL!!!!  I am so grateful for that phone call- that tender mercy that I am following the spirit and making a difference.  This is such a privilege to serve a mission and be a part of people´s lives- and help them come Unto Christ.  We really don´t do anything but follow the spirit- and do the Father´s will.

A talk in general conference said something like we need to start being the book of mormon- actually following the example.  I heard something like this this week and loved it:  we need to serve like Ammon, be humble like Abinadi, be courageous like Samuel, have faith like Nephi, pray like Enos, lead like King Benjamin, fight against evil like Captain Moroni, and love like the Savior.

An interesting thought that another missionary shared with me was about the different missions in the world.  That each has its one flavor.  That we all learn to come unto Christ but there seems to be an overlaying theme for each mission and each part of the world.  In Brazil there are lots of humble people ready to hear the gospel- you could baptize 500 people if you wanted (I know it is not true in all areas, but these are general assumptions) but you learn to love and be good parents.  In the States, you learn to be a Preach My Gospel Missionary (again we all learn to be PMG missionaries, but it is hard to describe- but this is true of the states) and you learn obedience.  In Portugal and prob. other parts of Europe, it is super hard to find and baptize so you learn to follow the spirit and are trained to be leaders.  Each of us have things we need to learn- each of us have our own mission.  And we are put in situations to help us learn these things.  I am so grateful to be here in my mission.  I know this is where Heavenly Father wants me.  I love my mission. I love serving the Lord and am so grateful for the joy I receive.  I love you all so much!!! Read the Book of Mormon.  I know it is true.  LOVE YOU LOV EYOU LOVE YOU!!!!

HURRAH FOR ISRAEL!!!

Irmã Tingey