Family!

Well, today was fun!!! We got to go to a castle in Setúbal. :) I will send pictures. But the work is still going. Though it feels as though we have hit a rough patch since this transfer started.... We have fasted though! I know we are just waiting for the dawn to come! But our other Bulgarian friend came back! We got to talk to him last night. He speaks english actually! Though his mom is Jehova´s Witness, and he is currently studying with them. But he is amazing! Though, since he had left for a month or so, we haven't been able to talk to him much. OH! The rain came out of no where! And then left again. haha. One day (a couple days ago) We left the house with sun. Then.... WHAM! Downpoor! For like 4 minutes and then it abruptly stopped. It happened about 3 times. And it hasn't rained since... hahaha. It was interresting. so our investigator João kinda took a wrong turn. He is Catholic because he was baptized as a baby. But doesn't know a whole lot about the whole religion thing. So we got to our second visit and we had our member, Elizabeth, with us. Well. It started well. We talked about baptism, and read about christ's baptism. But then, out of no where he brought up the debated topics of abortion, hunting, homosexual relationships... etc. Ha. Elizabete saved us. :) But he said he really likes talking to us because these are things he can't talk about with his friends. Let's just say it was an interresting lesson. But, we thought for sure he would be baptized, but now, we will just have to keep working with him... So Vasil left for Italy!! ;( It was so sad saying bye. Though I don't think it has hit me yet... He truly is so amazing! He changed so much! Like, he was already a good person. But just in his way of being, and the happiness that you could see coming off of him. The gospel is incredible! Antonio was also our new investigator. He is from Cabo Verde. But we are worried about him cause we haven't been able to get a hold of him. We had a marked lesson with him, but we wasn't answering his phone.... I got a phone call from sister Decker! Though it wasn't a good news phone call. (My last comp) She is going home on tuesday (3 weeks early) .... I hope she can start feeling better once she gets home and can get some good help. :) She is such a trooper! She´s fabulous! :) But when we got to talk to Vasil on the phone for the last time, the things he said made me so happy! He basically said he has so much to thank God for. For finding us, for the huge blessing of the gospel, for all of his brothers and sisters in the church... etc. And he told us he prays for our happiness and that god will bless us with helth, and good families etc. He is so sweet!  We also got our interview with President! It was really good. He made me feel better about training. He said he is really glad that I am training, and that he knows I am a good trainer. Though sometimes I just wish I could do more to help. But, yeah. Anyways. I love you all! Stay safe!

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes :)

Letter to Jeff from Amanda :)

Dad!
Wait, Steffani is in Kentucky!!?? I thought she was in
Ohio???? But thank you so much for the email! And thank you for being such a wonderful father. I know I also speak for all of us kids that we were soooo blessed to have been sent to be your kids. I don't know  how we all got so lucky. And I realize everyday, more and more, just how spoiled we are! I can say that I am a very very blessed spirit daughter of my Heavenly Father. And I know that even if I work myself
to death our here- which sometimes I feel like I come close. ha. that I won't ever come even close to giving back sufficient in comparison with what He has given me. I love you so much! I hope you know that. And thank you sooo much for supporting me and Steffy out here on missions. It means so much to me, as I know it does for her. I hope you have a fabulous week and that work goes well. :)
 
Love Always,
Sister Amanda Stokes :)

 We were making our planners. And this -obviously- is of a temple and so Sis. Briggs took a picture of me with it saying that is where me and Jason will be going soon. Ha. The punk.

 Me and Sister Harper. "Minha Filha" :)

 Our train station! :) We use the train a lot. (We have to take it to get to our church) That is why we are working on getting a church here in Quinta do Conde! The members need one. But I am realizing that this area is really hard... So many don't want to change their lives. Many claim to be catholic, 

but don't go to church, or do anything…

 So basically, there are just a lot of people that have 

put God on the side. it is really sad… 

Many don't even pray. It makes me sad.

My Blessed Wonderful Family <3

So this past week was... well, hard. We are having a hard time finding those who are willing to make commitments, and follow through. Also, we are meeting a lot of people that say they have faith. But, that don't do anything to act on it. It makes me super sad. There are actually tons of people like that. But recently, we have been running into even more. So as of now we don't have any firm progressing investigators... If you could pray for us and for the people here in Quinta do Conde, that would help a lot. Vasil and José give me hope! They are our recent converts (I still haven't sent the pictures from José´s baptism because I didn't have my camera with me that day. But monica (member) will be sending me the ones she took. So next week! :) But there really aren't any novidades. :) Just walking as always, searching for those who are looking for the gospel-even if they don't even realize they are. :) I love Sister Harper! She is super cute. Though I still feel bad cause she can't understand or talk very well. But she seems to be better than I was at this point! But in all honestly, I just don't remember. But she is doing great! Oh right! So we ran into a man one day, basically, all he had to say to us was, well, nothing good. He wasn't happy that we had decided to put off schooling to walk around and talk to people about God, especially a people such as the Portuguese. Cause they are all Catholic and we won't make a difference, and that we should just go home cause we are wasting our time.... yeah. That made me pretty sad. But not because it hurt me. It made me sad for him. What is sad, is a lot of people don't realize just what it is they are saying. And one day I know they will be sad because of it. But I have already forgiven him. :) He just didn't realize he was talking to a disciple of Jesus Christ who had been called and sent in His name to preach His gospel. That is one of the biggest things I have realized where I have changed a lot. In the beginning of my mission. It used to hit me and hurt a lot more- on my part. But now I have been able to build my own personal testimony to the point where, when others say unkind things that go against what we know to be true, I don't tremble or feel as though my testimony had just been weakened. It is the craziest most amazing thing! Cause I know what I know, and it makes me sad to see others fleeing from it, or not willing to know it because they don't want to change their way of life. But I know from the bottom of my heart that this gospel is true. That we have a living prophet today, and 12 apostles. Cause God does NOT change. He called a prophet again just as he has always done. Today, people deny and reject the prophet, just as they always have. And we who have the knowledge of the gospel, just have to keep pressing on, one day at a time, doing everything that the Lord asks. And in the end. We can hope that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will look upon us and say "Well done my good and faithful servant, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father" I can't wait for that day! And I want to help as many of our brothers as I can so that they can hear those beautiful words one day as their Savior calls them to rest. :) I love you all so much! Thank you for the amazing examples you are to me, and to all those around you. You don't even realize how incredible and special you are. I hope you have a blessed week. :)

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes

 Today. District P-Day, We all ate lunch together. :)

 We ate Brazilian food. :) Ha

Paloma´s Baptism at the river!

 Same place. Just with me down on the rocks. :)

 Me and Sister Briggs. We were together as we were waiting for our "daughters" :)

 Or, our "greenies" :) This is in Seixal.

 Zone Conference

 Free Bifana´s at Continent 

( A supermarket) (free sandwhich´s

 Gorgeous! In Seixal. (Where our church is at)

 Me and Sister Decker- in the last moments

 Eating McDonald´s.

On the train after dropping off Sister

Decker at the mission office. She left me! :(

Family!!!!

so this week was so blessed!!! We got a new investigator named Jose. He was a reference from our member. For he is her boyfriend. Can I just say that it was already part of the plan for him to receive the gospel in his life. And when we taught about the restoration. The spirit filled that room completely! It was so thick I am sure you could have cut it with a knife. It was a very emotional lesson. And the joy that it brought monica is undescribable. Jose´s conversion, is definitely an emotional one. And what is so amazing is he is doing it completely for himself. Not for her. He got emotional as well. And he definitely felt the spirit. He already has a testimony. He is marked for the 23rd. :) And we initially weren't even praying about that date. We had three other dates picked out. But then after praying we felt that it should be sooner. And that we didn't need to wait. So we prayed about the 23rd and we both felt good about it. When we talked to Monica about it. She said that that date was incredible because it was the only weekend she had off work and it had only just recently happened. All the other weekends/days wouldn't work out. She even said what a miracle that was. And when we gave him the invite to be baptized, he knew it was coming because we showed the picture of Christ´s baptism. But he didn't hesitate a second to say yes. The spirit was sooo strong! Can I just say how much I love being able to be a part of these kinds of experiences. Seeing lives change and see the light of the gospel literally just bless the lives of everyone who is willing to listen and act. I truly believe that I am one of the most blessed and even spoiled person on earth. Oh right! So we had transfers! And.... I am staying!!! and sister Decker is leaving. She is going to Porto. So way up North. We were both super sad.... And I am going to be training!!!!! I am excited and nervous. Ha. It will be hard being the one that has to hold pretty much all the responsibility and have a comp that won't understand the people. So I will probably be talking most the time in our lessons. It will be weird when I will look at my comp. to say something and then realize, right, she probably isn't following very well.... I remember that when I was here at the beginning of my mission. I used to think. I have no idea what these people are saying! Haha. I felt bad for my comp because I couldnt' help out much... So now, I will be on the other end of it. It is funny. Cause I told Heavnely Father that I was completely ok with not ever training. In fact, I never really wanted too.... But of course. The time finally came where I couldn't get out of it any longer. Ha. But it will be good. I am actually super excited. We will see miracles! and we will make a ward here in Quinta do Conde. That is our goal. :) (Cause the Stake President wants to skip the branch and go straight to a ward) Anyways, I am super happy! I am currently with Sister Briggs. cause she will also train. (We are in the same district) And we told each other that we have to pray for each other. Ha. We are both a little nervous. So prayers would be wonderful! Well, I hope you know how greatful I am for all of you and for the strength you have. I love you so much! Stay safe!

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes :)

 me and Sister Decker on the stairs at the train station. Today!

Lego apartment! Thats what I thought when I saw it. ha

 Last One

Train Tracks

Family!

This week was good! Though nothing too exciting happened. We are still stuck in the house most the day.... But, Vasil looked sooo good at church! He looked like he had been a member for years in that spiffy suit! Ha. We just had to take pictures. :) He truly is so amazing! I love him so much. Another miracle happened! We ran into Janete! We had marked her for baptism in the past. But she ended up going to her cousins house in Lisboa. We were so sad! But she came back! She said she was done making the trips back and forth. And apparently she isn't feeling to good and she was on her way to a clinic to get checked out. but we are going to start teaching her again! She is super cool as well. We are excited! So even with our difficult situation and Irmã feeling terrible, the Lord is still blessing us more than we deserve! I never realized before just how much the Lord wants to bless his children. And that when we are being as obedient as we possibly can, the blessings just come down-pouring. It is a huge testimony builder and I can't thank the Lord enough for helping us so much. I am getting more and more sad because I am not able to fulfill my full purpose as a missioary at the moment. But then I realized that being a disciple of Christ is much more than just focusing on those out of the church, or new to the church, or our members. But sometimes, the person we need to serve, help, and sacrifice for is our very own companions. I already knew that. But to this point, I haven't had to sacrifice so much for my companion before. It is really hard, cause being a missionary and not sharing the gospel like I want to is super super hard. But I have learned sooo much from this experience. I should change that, I have learned so much from my companion. She is so strong. She has so much pain, and we both don't understand why the Lord doesn't just take it away. She has had blessings, and has taken many medications. But in and through it all. She trusts in the Lord, and knows she can get through anything with His help. It won't be easy. But she doesn't have a bitter bone in her body for her lot, even if it means she will be dealing with these pains for the rest of her life. She is incredible. I am so blessed to have been put as her companion. I love you all so much. I hope you are all doing well! From the pictures I got looks like you are all still happy and loving life! Ha. Stay that way! And never forget just how loved you each are by our loving Heavenly Father. And that no matter how hard of a trial we may face in life, He will always be by our side, giving us just enough strength to surpass it. He never said He would take it away, but that we will be able to bare it. :) Just like my fabulous companion! Love you! Have a fabulous week!  

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes

 Me and my comp. First berries, then kumquats :)

 Me and my last comp! Sis. Cardoso! 

We are still in the same zone. :)

Masks!!! Yes! haha

 haha. It is so creepy!

Me and sis. Decker!!!

 We got haircuts! ;)

 Yes, we just had to take a silly face picture :)

Family!

This week was amazing! Why? Vasil was confirmed as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!!!!!!! Oh it was amazing! And afterwards he told me, "O espírito é tão forte!!!" "The spirit is so strong!!!" He basically then bore testimony that this is the true church. It was so precious! He has grown soooo much since the first day we got here in Quinta do Conde when we met him on the street. It is truly amazing how the Lord works, and it is such a huge blessing to be able to be a part of His work! I am so greatful to be a missionary! I love this work! I know that this work it true! And I am strengthened everyday by so many people! Including my companion. She is truly amazing. She is one of the strongest people I know. I am learning a lot from her~- even just by her example in pushing through even when she has every reason and excuse to just stay home. she really tries her best to do as much as she can! It is incredible. And almost no one can see that. Only her companions truly know. Thank you so much for everything you guys do for me. Thank you for being such amazing examples for me and for others throughout the years. I am blessed beyond words to be able to be a part of our family. I love you all so much. Stay safe and have a blessed week.

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes

 I saw Adão!!!!!!! He was sooooooo excited to see me! It was the cutest thing! Haha. He went with us on the metro as far as he could that his pass would let him so he could talk with us. haha. I loved seeing him! Haha. (He is a little special. :)...)

 

Baptism of Vasil!

 Irmã made gorditas. .:) They were yummy. 

An inexpensive mexican food. :)

 Elder that finished and member we 

ran into on the way to the hospital!

us and Vasil!

Family!

This week was amazing! Vasil was baptized! It was a miracle baptism! The spirit was so strong! It was amazing! I can't tell you how happy we both were as we watched Vasil go under the water, and come back up completely clean! It was hard keeping back the tears. We call him our Bulgarian father. ha. And he calls us his daughters. It is actually really common for others to call us their daughters. it is just something they do when you have a close relationship with them. I think it is so cute. I am not sure if I ever told you that or not. But we call Vasil pai. ha. Also, we found that the essential oils really help Irmã! And a member in our ward gave her hers. She actually has the exact same thing that my comp has, and sadly, she told her it won't get better. But that the oils are what help her be able to function. We will see what happens. But starting this week we are going to hit the ground running! Even with my comp almost dying in bed. The Lord blessed us with a baptism!! Just think what will happen now that we both can go out and work! The Lord has big plans for Quinta do Conde. And we have high goals! And I am pretty darn sure that they are in line with what the Lord wants to happen! I am soooo excited!!!!!! I hope you all have a fabulous week! Don't forget to pray and talk to our Heavenly Father every single day! Many times per day! He is our closest dearest friend. Whether we know it now or not. It is only us that weakens that relationship. I love you all so much! Stay safe!

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes 

Email to Dad :)

Dad!

Ha. Stinker. Killing two birds with one stone. Mom did the same thing. Haha. That is known as a little thing called, laziness! Ha. Jk!!! I loved the email! I am always really happy when I see I got an email from you. :) I love the quote Steff said. It truly is so true. That is why I am still out here, even amist all the hardships and trials that come with this work. Because of the happiness, and blessings that we are more than spoiled to be able to bring to our brothers and sisters. The light that the gospel brings out of people is just breathtaking and there simply aren't words to describe the joy that I am able to feel as a result of being an instrument in the Lord's hands in being able to bless these people. I can't thank you and mom enough for helping me and encoraging me to serve a mission. It truly is the most humbling work. There isn't anything else that can compare to the experiences we have on the mission. And it truly is the time where we can truly understand our Savior better than we ever have before. Because we are doing exactly what He did when he was here. Loving, helping, serving, sometimes shedding tears, but in and out of it all, experiencing a profound joy and learning how to love more than we ever thought was possible. I am so greatful to be a missionary. And I wish every member of the church had the opportunity to serve a mission, and see the Lord's hands in His work every single day. And in the end, see how the Lord wasn't only helping us to mold other people, but how the Lord was truly molding us, and helping us become the sons and daughters He needs. And one thing I am so excited about is that when the mission ends, it isn't even close to an ending. But it is a beginning. A beginning of true discipleship in the church. We are being trained to live the rest of our lives as member missionaries. And we can have just as much a part in the work here as in our normal lives. I am excited to be a member missionary! Though I still have loads of time as an actual full time missionary. I will be so sad when the time comes to a close! I will probably cry. But I will also shed tears of joy due to all the hearts I have been about to touch, and all the lives I have had the priviledge to change- as an instrument in the Lord's hands. I have learned for one thing that we truly are nothing. But with God and the Lord, we have everything. And the only way we have success is when we have the Lord on our side and when we are worthy to have the companionship of His spirit. That is the only way we will be able to touch hearts and change lives. I love you so much dad! I hope you know what a big example you are to me. I hope that this week goes well at home. Love you!

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes

Family!!!!

So this past week was a little rough. My poor comp has been suffering with massive migrane´s. And she has been stuck in bed. And no pain killer has been helping, and even when she tries to take something, it comes right back up. She can't keep down food either. I feel so bad for her. Today she seems to be doing better. She still has pain, but it isn't as bad as earlier. She is a trooper! So our marcado (marked investigator) didn't make it to church.... We were soooo sad! So he can no longer be baptized on te 26th.... And what is even more sad is that he hasn't been answering our phone calls since sunday... We are so worried! Cause he is truly so amazing! He was so firm, and so excited! When we taught the Word of Wisdom. He accepted it promptly and was already working on stopping smoking. (And he only would smoke when his guy friends offered it to him) He said he would drop coffee and black tea and everything! Even the law of chastity. He said he has lived that his whole life! :) So I am not sure why we haven't heard from him. I hope everything is ok. Cause he is just the sweetest person! I love him so much! He is Bulgarian. But he speaks portuguese ok. It is really cool to hear him speak bulgarian. We also met a brazilian couple! They are amazing! The husband has already been taught almost everything (Luis) and his Girlfriend (they are living together and aren't currently married) Leir, hasn't been taught anything becaust of her work schedule. She was never home when the missionaries taught Luis. But they are literally perfect. The only thing right now that is keeping them from baptism is the fact that they aren't married. And it is super complicated. For they can't just go and get married because they don't have their documents.... So we are stuck unless they decide to separate. When we mentioned that option, they just looked at each other and then said that they will have to think about that. So we will see what happens. If they don't separate it could be a year or more till they are baptized. I know everything will work out the way it is supposed to though. So I told you that our goal was to make a branch. Actually, the goal that the stake president has is to make it a ward right away and skip the branch. So, no pressure! Ha. But I have faith that we can make that possible. My comp just has to get better so we can go out and find all those whom the Lord has prepared to start a ward here in Quinta do Conde. :) I am so excited!!! The Lord has big plans for my area. Well, I hope you are all doing well! Sounds like a lot is going on back home in regards to trips and changes! I am so happy for Cory! You guys have to send me pictures. :) know that I love you all and that I am soooo happy here! Stay safe!

Love Always,

Sister Amanda Stokes :)