The Ward had an awesome Halloween party! It was so much fun!
I was a soccer player in a skirt and
Sister Olsen was
"SUPER SISTERRRRR"!
My comp is cute. She even wore her glasses to look like Clark Kent.
This was a view of the party. It was awesome and EVERYONE brought tons of food! That means success in my eyes! It was a party with music and dancing and games. Total classic Mormon party. Eva, one of our investigators came with us. I really hope that she liked the good atmosphere and getting to know the people. Everyone is so wonderful.
I heard some of my friends from Portimao contacted you (Mom)! I love that! Haha! They love their Sister Barron already. =D
We had a competition to see who could make a mummy the fastest. Who won? Haha oh right, me. It was super fun. =) The girl I mummified is an investigator of the Elders and I love her so much.
This is our friend named Eva. She is learning about the church. (We brought her to the Halloween party.) She is super cool and very spiritual. She likes to meditate. I love being in her house because it is so peaceful. Even her dog is named Zen. =)
This is the view from a bridge in our area. We are right on the ocean. It is stinkin beautiful.
SURPRISE! I'm takin your picture Sis. Olsen!
These are our friends. They are so cute and sweet! On this day they both were wearing their "Sister Barron Bracelets"! Wheeee............
these bracelets are all over Portugal!
I have so much fun giving them out!
Portimao sunset.
Going on divisions with the Sister Training Leaders. I served with Sister Mancuso! (Red Hair)
Letter Home:
Olá to everyone!
We had the funniest lesson this week with two soccer players.
One was from Nigeria and the other was from Ghana. They both spoke English, not
perfectly but enough to understand and they didn’t speak Portuguese. It was
such a funny lesson. Me and Sister Olsen were stumbling over our words and
getting so confused. I had never taught the missionary lessons in English before. But they were both really
cool and interested. They both felt the desire to come closer to Christ. It was
especially funny because we invited Bruno (a recently baptized member of the
church) to the lesson and he hardly knows any English. But he tried so hard to
bear his testimony with a "Church...Baptism...I like!" =D
So here in Portugal they actually don’t celebrate Halloween, but
because our branch has 3 American missionaries that love Halloween, we decided
to have a MEGA PARTY and invite everyone! It was perfect, there were decorations
and food (haha interesting Portuguese food, like pastries and mystery soup) and
music. We got special permission to listen to the music and it was torturous
because it was all this classic stake dance music! Seriously, all the same
stuff from Crazy Frog to Cotton-Eyed Joe. It was so hard because one thing
about me is that I love to dance! Not like serious dancing but like flailing
and jiving, so it was torture to have to sit in my chair and be an angelic
Sister of the Lord. It was so fun though :) Great memories were
made.
Yesterday was a day a little different than others. It was a
holiday in Portugal called "Dia dos Santos" or Day of the Saints. It
is a day when everyone will go out to the cemetery and put flowers on the
graves of their family and remember them. Sister Tavares (the mission
presidents wife) had the idea that all the missionaries would go out to cemeteries
all over Portugal and do proselyting. It was a very different experience than
normal proselyting. We had to be a lot more tender and sensitive because a lot
of people were crying or in pain. I prayed to my Father in heaven to guide me
to who needed me most. I contacted this really cute young woman with crazy
blonde curly hair. She was there with her mom at the grave of her father. He
had died only two weeks earlier. I kinda just walked up and joined them in
looking at his grave. They had put some beautiful flowers on the grave. I said
to the girl "Can I ask who is this man?" and she explained to me
about him. Once she told me that is was her father, I felt the spirit so strong
and I knew that he was there with us. I started crying. Like, a lot. I was just
thinking about my father and how I love him so much and I would be crushed if I
ever had to lose him. I asked her what it was that he liked to do and she
said he loved the ocean and the beach. I told her that I know she will see him
again and that she will always be his daughter. I then told her that there is a
place where we can be sealed with our families forever and gave her a card with
a picture of the temple in Spain. They had to leave before I could say more,
but I gave her a hug and we all continued on. It was a beautiful moment. I hope
she remembers my words and has the desire to look up more about our church and
the temple.
One thing that I was thinking about last night is that I LOVE MY
MISSION SO MUCH. Sure, there are moments when it is hard and cold outside (by
the way, this week has been freezing cold with lots of rain! Winter is coming
and I am not looking forward to it! Luckily I found old rain boots in our house
so that’s good) But overall I am having the time of my life! I do hard things
everyday, like talking to tons of people I don’t know or playing piano in
church when I’m really not that good, but I always can do it! I bear my
testimony everyday. There is nothing that makes you feel more fulfilled and
happy than bearing your testimony to someone.
I Love you all so much! Have a wonderful week!
Loves,
Sister
Barron
