Monday, September 23rd

Família!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) So! I love that you guys got to have a lot of fun!! And see both grandparents! And I love that they both love eating at Sizzler. haha. So Sister Warburton has been out just about a year. I seriously am loving her British accent!!!! :) Ha. She is awesome. Her birthday was yesterday so she just turned 23!!! I can't believe that I am going to be 22!!! Ah!!! That is so weird to me. Lol. I mean, I still have over 3 months, but still! It is close! And I am glad that Tara is good. It is weird that that is her name though because I sometimes refer to Taralyn with that name... ha. So it makes me think of Taralyn. But, não faz mal. So, I went running this morning with Sister Cutler. The other Sister that stayed here from last transfer. She reminds me of Cassidy to be honest! I love it!!!!!!!!!! But her companion has a bad leg because in the MTC she had fallen and something happened, so it was pretty bad and now she can't really do much and it is a little hard for her if they have to walk a whole lot in a day. But, I don't think Sister Warburton really likes to run. But I get to run with Sister Cutler so we do tradezies! (even though I know that isn't a true word, I still don't know if I spelt it right. ha) Crazy!!!! Devon is engaged!!!??? Oh, how good for him! I hope she is awesome!!!!! I haven't heard from him in a while. And I also haven't heard from Tavin little punk. But I also don't have his address with me so I can't send him a letter. And I can write long letters, but it just takes a long time to make them long. :) Ha. So It has been a month since I sent Jason a letter. Oops... But we email every week! Thank you I am super excited to get the package!!!!!!!!! :) So last P-day, we rode this little train that takes a tour of viseu. Ha. It is only 2 euros and so we decided to do it with the Elders. Honestly, the only thing that made it worth it was how funny the Elders were. Ha. Elder Richins was pretending to be a tour guide and talking about the random "cool" things we were seeing. And in a funny voice. It was funny. Oh Elders... We love em! So now that I am no longer being trained, and I have the normal missionary schedule, I actually really like it. We aren't in the house for so long. We get to go out and talk to people! I actually really love talking to random people on the street. Cause it is so funny how different everyone is. Though we still find a lot of creepers who only want to buy us cafézinhos and things of that sort (like a little cup of coffee). This guy two days ago, when we started walking back with him he grabbed both of us around the back holding our arms and I felt so uncomfortable! Ha. And then he went in to kiss Sister Warburton and I quickly twisted out of his arms before he could try it on me! Ha. Luckily Sister Warburton saw it coming and so she turned her head so he kissed her hair. Ya, so we probably won't meet up with him. He would always call us "linda" as our names instead of Sister.... so and so. Oh, and linda just means "pretty".So remember Mikaela, last week, we decided to read a story from the BOM to catch her interest so she would like reading it more. So we read the story about Ammon and where he cuts a bunch of men's arms off. ha. She was actually really engaged in the story. It was funny and cute. She is the 12 year old girl that I seriosly love so much! She also brought out and showed me her big poster of Justin Bieber. She loves him it is funny. She likes to sing parts of his songs to us. She is actually a really good singer! Which is funny because most of the people here can't sing. At least not very good. It is kinda weird but I love it. So, funny story, one morning we were getting ready for the day, and then all of a sudden I just heard laughing. So I went into to the hall and over to where they were laughing, and Sister Warburton had been brushing her hair, but she had dropped it in the toilet!!!! Ha. She took a picture of it! So funny. She ended up buying a new hairbrush. Cause, well, first of all that is just gross. Second of all, there just happened to be poop stains in there. So ew.... Ha. Also, we started talking with this man because we were walking home for lunch and he just happened to be walking to the side of us. So we decided to talk to him. Then he got talking about the Catholic Church and then he got out his wallet and he pulled out a little strip of newspaper to show us something. On it had the percentages of all the main religions here in Portugal. He had us find where it said the Catholic Church to show that it said that 95.5% of all Portugal is Catholic. Ha. It is just so funny that he just brings it around everywhere with him. But It is interesting cause, everyone and their dog here is Catholic. But there are so many that aren't practicing or going to church. But they still consider themselves Catholoics. My companion gave an example that was funny. So if there is a painter, but he doesn't paint, he wouldn't be called a painter anymore. Ha. I just thought it was funny and in her British accent and all. But I don't know if she used that as the example. But something of that sort. So we found a maze here in Portugal!!! It literally is a maze! it is in our Elder's area. And there are tall buildings that have shops on the bottom floor and apartment buildings above, and some are just apartments. But it is super cool if you don't get lost. :) Cause our Elders gave us a referal. She is a women and she is hard for them to teach because of the rule about how they can't be with a women without another man. So they gave her to us. So when we went to find her apartment in the maze, I am amazed we didn't get completely lost. I felt lost the whole time. But somehow we got to it, and back out without having to turn around and waste a bunch of time in there trying to find our way. Ha. But we want to go their today because they have a ton of little shops and it really is super cool! So, we, more like I, had to pay 112 euros plus 20 just because we went to the hospital for a visit! the additional 112 is only because I am not Portuguese. That is ridiculous! But the mission covered it but I still can't believe that because they didn't even do anything. They referred me to another doctor that I will find out once I get a letter in the mail saying when and where. But it is only about that thing from before. They said I have no need to worry. I made cookies this past week!!!! I love them and I missed them so much! They were yummy. Though our oven sucks.... But they were still good. So Mikaela left for Coimbra because school started.... She missed the first week cause her mom was still in Lisbon and randomly all over the country. But she left yesterday... It is so sad cause she is like my new sister! So in case you didn't know, I am adopting her into our family and she is coming home with me ok? Oh! So did you get the friend request on Facebook from her? If so, make sure you add her! :) So Bruna is a women we met this past week she is cool. her husband doesn't believe in God. But she wants to know more about our church. And she came to church on sunday! And she has two super cute little girls! On sunday, when they were leaving, the youngest one, she is two. She was trying to get me to go with her. She would grab my hand and tug on me. So her mom told her I had to stay and they had to go and she started fussing and refusing to leave my side. It was so cute. But her mom ended up having to pick her up to take her out. Then she just cried and cried and cried all the way out looking back at me. It was the cutest and saddest thing. Ana Paula, the recent convert of about a year, but less active. I feel like we aren't ever going to get her back to church. It is sad. Her son is eight and he can be baptized. And so we really want her to come for both her and her son. She says she had a lot more faith and desire to return now because of us-well me and Sis. Brooks, but now it will be Sis. Warburton as well!- but that she isn't quite ready to return. It is a bit frusterating. And sad. So, jonathas (or something like that) is a man we just met. But he seriously pulls off the pirate look. he is super cool. Ha. He has long hair, and was wearing a bandana, he has the perfect facial hair, two gold earings, he does have an eye brow peircing too. But he seriously makes me think of Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow! And he pulls it off so well! I really want to get a picture with him! Ha. Though, he winked at me several times, so... I don't know if he just does that or not. I just tried to ignore it. But truly he is really cool and he has a lot of faith. And last thing! We had a family night with Cecilia Tosé and Sofia (she is the one that is 15 and got baptized!) And I would send home pictures, but I don't have them to send home.... I will have to get the ones that sis Brooks took.. But we taught about Lehi's dream. And we bought a big poster board. And we all took turns reading a verse, and when someone would read about a part of his dream, they would draw it on the poster board. So in the end, we had a picture of Lehi's dream. it was actually really cool. And Rogo wanted to put it in his room on the wall. So he had everyone go in and his parents got the tape, and he put it up in his room. Ha. I love it! :) Anyways, I love you guys so much! And I hope school is fantastic!!!! And I hope you guys remember to read in the scriptures everyday!!! Love you!

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes