A Lei de Castidade

This week we had to talk to Marlene about the Law of Chastity with her boyfriend. They've been together for only a few months and aren't really dating... Marlene's just really nice and is letting him stay with her because he has nowhere else to go but it's kinda turned into more of a relationship. SO we had already talked to Marlene about the Law of Chastity and planned out our lesson with her to teach to António. She really wants to be baptized. SO BADLY!
For example, she just showed up at the capela (chapel) to clean it because they needed more people to help. She loves the church. And she just switched jobs and is going to ask for Sundays off.
Anyways, António is actually already a member but was baptized when he was 10. We let him know super smoothly that they would either need to get married or live separately for Marlene to get baptized. So they have to figure that out. But Marlene told us that she has priority. She wants to get baptized and that comes first. Pray for her!!

What I'm so amazed about is how two 19/20-year-olds can teach two 40-year-olds who have already had tons of life experience about love. About chastity. In Portuguese. What. But somehow, we can do it. We did it. But it definitely wasn't by ourselves, pois. The Holy Ghost definitely guides us and Christ is with us in every step, every word, every action. I'm so grateful for that.

Video of the week: enduring love

Love yall!
Sister Hillam

Distrito de Matosinhos!

We can't even look at the same camera!!

Heart Attacked Arminda's Door

Much Needed Face Masks

Bom Dia Energia!!

BOM DIA ENERGIA!

So a few weeks ago at a zone conference, President told us that we never knock the same door twice. We have this joke of, after being in an area for a long time, saying, "I've knocked all the doors in this entire city!!" Well President said that's wrong because people change all the time. One day, their lives could be fine but the next day, sometime could happen that makes them really realized they need Christ in their lives. People change. Soo we started knocking a lot of the same doors I've knocked here in Matosinhos. And also contacting a lot of the same people I've contacted on the road and guess what. People change. 
First, Alexandra. Sister Griffin and I contacted her a few months ago and she didn't really want anything. But then Sister Duce and I passed her the other day and as we passed she called out to us. We stopped and she said she wanted to come to our church. She found a Book of Mormon at home and started reading it. She's been carrying a photo of Christ around with her and she said she had a dream that she was baptized in our church! So we've been following up with her so that she can come to church!!
Second, Mónica. Apparently we had helped her with her groceries one day (I don't remember) and she was really grateful so she contacted US on the road and told her that she was coming to church this Sunday. SHE CAME AND BROUGHT HER WHOLE FAMILY! Woot woot! 

So church was bomb. Mónica and her family came. And Arminda, pois! And Marlene, pois! But surprise! Marlene invited her mom and her boyfriend to come! And they came! And the members were soo good to help all of the investigators and fellowship them and everything! Literally the best ward in the world! LOVE Matosinhos!!

Arminda and Marlene are doing great and progressing beautifully! Love them with all my heart!! They're literally my best friends. 

Also check out this sweet video about how we all have amazing potential no matter what we've gone through. It doesn't matter where you were but where you're going. 

BEIJINHOS GRANDES!

Sister Hillam

Marlene

Arminda!

Marlene

Us and Família Lage. We made them missionary tags because of all the missionary work they do with us!

One of our members found baby bunnies but hid it in his hand and came up to me, opened his hand, and screamed RAT! And then I screamed and he laughed and said it was a bunny.

The sweet handshake we have with Amândio Lage​

                      Cute video of the primary (lol 4 kids) singing, "I Hope They Call Me On a Mission"​

MATOSINHOS joins up with TEMPLE SQUARE

MAFALDA

So on Friday, we get a text from the Church reference system to give a Book of Mormon to a girl named Mafalda. So we go straight there and eventually get directed to where she works. We enter the store and give her the Book of Mormon and find out that she had been watching this Youtuber's daily vlogs and loved how happy her family seemed. Guess what. That vlogger's Mormon. So Mafalda starts researching a little and ends up chatting with some missionaries from Temple Square online. That's when we get the reference. We gave her our number and invited her to church. She was totally going to come but her cat kept her up all night... (We both like cats so we'll be buds). Instead, she came to the capela after church and we taught her the first lesson and she had already read a good chunk of the Book of Mormon. SO ELECT! Then later as we were knocking doors, we get a call from a weird number and guess who it was. SISTERS FROM TEMPLE SQUARE! Sister Mariano and Geng! So now we're going to be working hand in hand with those sisters to help Mafalda. They'll follow up with her and prep her for our next lessons and keep the fire burning. Mafalda is so lucky to have 4 sisters working with her :)

ARMINDA

Man she is the cutest little old lady ever. So she was having trouble accepting a date for baptism even though she told us that she wanted to be baptized. So we planned this super sweet lesson in the capela with videos for her to really help her feel the Spirit. We started with the video about the man on the cruise ship that didn't realize that everything on the ship was already included in the price. (Shout out to Sister Nance for that one!) Then we talked about how she's standing at the door, just looking at all the blessings she can receive. (She's been coming to church for about 5 weeks now!) And you know what that door is? BAPTISM. 2 NEPHI 31:17-18. Then we talked about how we need to follow Christ through that door. Then we threw in the Because of Him video and then showed her the Baptismal Font and invited her to be baptized on August 5th. SHE ACCEPTED! I love love love Arminda!!

MARLENE

So we also decided to invite Marlene to be baptized. We taught her about the Plan of Salvation and what we need to do to return to live with God. She really wanted it! So she'll be getting baptized on August 19th!! She's already been to church 3 weeks in a row!

Yesterday, I had to teach Gospel Principles about Missionary Work (how perfect!). We watched a video about how we, as members can share the Gospel. Y'all should watch it. Literally describes perfectly how our members here in Matosinhos are. Go find someone today who you can help and share the Gospel with! Do it!

So yeah. That's just our little week of miracles! Matosinhos is literally the best ever.

Love y'all!!
Sister Hillam

My fave Sister Carter on divisions

Someone trained this parrot to catcall every time someone walks by

The cutest girls ever at church

Duce é tão doce ;)

Probably one of the best weeks ever! Sister Duce rocks. She's from Montana, went to BYU, is a twin, in her third transfer, and legit one of the cutest and sweetest people I've ever met. We made some sweet goals for this transfer and for this week, we decided on finding 7 new investigators AND WE DID IT! Literally miracles!


Arminda: Still doing good! She's literally going to be finishing the Book of Mormon in a few weeks. She's a speed reader. Just gotta make sure she's understanding it. She's come to church 4 times now and we think she's just afraid of committing to be baptized so we're going to have a lesson in the capela tomorrow and show her the baptismal font and really help her feel the Spirit. Pray for her! She's so ready to get baptized! 

Marlene: Okay so she showed up at church two weeks ago, really sad and everything. We taught her on Tuesday and when we talked about how when we're baptized, our sins and past mistakes are wiped away and we can start completely over, she just started crying of happiness. Her aunt and uncle were teaching with us and they helped immensely. She came to church again this week to and said that she knew she was in the right place and on the right path. She's getting baptized soon! 

Manuel and Maria: New investigators!! Freaking awesome couple. We knocked on their door and I played the "Hey! My friend (Sister Duce) is learning Portuguese and would like to practice a little with you all!" Then surprisingly Maria said yes and they let us in and we taught them! They already had a Book of Mormon and Maria kept on asking how she could know what church is true. JAMES 1:5! We invited them to read the Book of Mormon and pray. Maria looked to Manuel and said, "VAMOS LER!" (We'll read!) They have such potential! They're auto-sufficient, have a family, and are looking for the truth! 

Man the Gospel is so true. I'm so grateful to be here, as a missionary of the Lord. I'm so grateful that I get to represent him here in Portugal and share the Gospel with those who are searching for it. Love the mission!!

BEIJINHOS **
Sister Hillam

PICANHA

Looking across the ocean to Georgia but really would rather stay in Matosinhos!!

SISTER DUCE'S first time EVER going to a beach! 

No international calling pois

Porto!!!

Still the Best Area in the Mission!

Transfers: I'M STAYING! YES! But Sister Griffin is leaving :( and going to my old area, São João da Madiera (lucky). Sister Duce is coming here from my other old area, Viseu! She's in her third transfer and she seems great! 

Arminda: ok so ARMINDA. We had only been able to teach her with her old lady neighbor members and we were worried that she was getting confused with the conversations that these members would start about really deep doctrine.... So we taught her for the first time alone this week and it was amazing! We basically just reviewed the first and second lessons to make sure she understood everything and she just opened up to us so much! She told us about her life story--how she was treated really badly as a kid so she ran away when she was 18. Then, she started dating this guy (that was married but she didn't know) and got pregnant, but the guy wanted nothing to do with her. So she raised this little boy and loved him so much, but then when he was 18 he got hit by a car and died. So Arminda is probably like 65ish and she has been living alone ever since her son died. The poor lady is so lonely and said she had just lost all meaning in her life. She said sometimes she is just so lonely that she just wishes she was dead. We taught her about how she has a Heavenly Father that loves her so much that He created a perfect Plan of Salvation so that she can see her son again and live in happiness without end!!!!!!! She understood everything so well and at the end of the lesson she just said, "Wow. I know why I'm here now... I need to prepare myself to live with God again" and Sister Griffin and I just looked at each other with huge smiles because Arminda literally understands the Plan of Salvation so well. She told us we put purpose back into her life and it was the most amazing lesson EVER. Moments like this really just make all the hard times in the mission worth it! She went to church again and it was so good! Also, our ward is really getting into doing family history lately and it's awesome, so Sister Griffin and I have this dream that after Arminda gets baptized she is going to get really good at family history and she is going to take all of her family names to the temple! 

Rosa: She's the sister of a member who used to be the bishop but has had ALS for 7 years. He's literally the cutest though. We contacted his sister in the road one day, not knowing they were related and told him about it later. He said that it wasn't worth it, that she didn't want anything. Well, we stopped by her house one day and just taught her a little about Christ. We went back last week and taught her the first lesson and after we recited the First Vision and talked about how this church is the same church that Christ established, she said, "I had no idea! I didn't know!" She and her husband need a lot of help because they're both really sick and this message is exactly what with help them!

Isilda e Leonardo: Remember that family that we contacted because we couldn't find house number 23 and then passed the reference to the elders? Well, the elders passed the reference back because the husband is never really interested in the lessons. So we passed by last week and WOW Isilda is amazing. Literally AMAZING! We were able to talk to her and figure out their interests and everything. SO EXCITED TO TEACH THIS FAMILY!

Miracle: Presidente challenged us to all have two investigators at church and that was such a struggle! Man. Saturday night, we only had one person committed to come. We were praying and working so hard to get two2!! Thwhenehn we got to church, FOUR INVESTIGATORS were there! FOUR! The members literally just brought people for us to teach. They're the best.

Okay, last of all, Matthew 5--The Sermon on the Mount. AMAZING. I started doing a super in depth study of it and WOW. I'm only like 20 verses in and it's been 3 days. Christ literally teaches us exactly how to be and how to live our lives. It's really changed who I want to be and who I am. We learned this past week that if you want to change, you can just change; there are no excuses. If we make an excuse to change, blaming it on our nature, we are rejecting one of the truths of the Plan of Salvation--we can all change, and Christ taught us what to become. I am so grateful for this eternal truth and I know it is true. 

Love y'all!!

Sister Hillam

 Ah sister griffin's flying the coop :(

Matosinhos!!