Ola Mãe

Tudo bem? Espero! All is good here, though still no word on my ears, I'm just gonna ignore them. I got a blessing from the elders so that helped a little. Poor Elder Semedo, who is from Cape Verde, he had the hardest time saying my name! Hehe. Why don't you use the computers at the library? Well, this is gonna be short, the place that we normally go to to email is closed until the 9th of July, which stinks. If you can't tell, I wasn't transfered, since this week was transfer week. In fact, our whole island stayed the same! There are 8 of us, so that is pretty cool. We're gonna go to a place called Sete Cidades next week, so that should be cool. But I will probably be here for a really long time now since I didn't get transfered, which on one hand kind of stinks since I'll probably run out of everything:P I'm gonna run out of makeup and then that will give the members of the ward something else to point out;)

This week was good. We did lots of stuff. On Monday, after we watched the movie at Irmão Francisco's house with the elders, we taught a menos activo, his name is Rui and his wife's name is Margarida, and they've been members for about 7 years. They've even been to the temple three times, but they of course let something else someone said or did keep them from coming to church. But while we were teaching I had ants crawling ALL over me! I'd set my backpack down outside and I must have set it somewhere with ants! Ahh, it was awful but hilarious now because I just stood there and we just kept teaching like nothing was happening:). Tuesday, we had almoço with the Pinto Família, which was fun. We had atum (tuna), vegetables, chocolate salome (different kinds of chocolates all together to look like a salome, and boy was it tasty!), and a really really yummy coconut treat. I still don't like fish, but we've now had it twice at the Pinto's house and both times it's been good:). Then we had an activity that the elders did for the ward and we watched the Resturation movie and we played a game where we threw water in each others faces, it was really fun. Oh, remember those new shoes I got! Well, they're absolutely fabulous for walking in, and the brand is called 'InSpirit' hehehe, so we're walking 'inspirit.' Wednesday, we worked on posters for our activity. I have pictures of them, but I don't have time to send them today. By the way, thanks for the info about our family, tell Aunt Wanda thanks a ton! Then we ate at Burger King one day! It was tasty! We had a meeting with the elders and we hadn't eaten and didn't have time to go to the apartment to eat and so we ate there instead. Then we had chapel tours, which were cool, though no one came in, we talked with lots of awesome people. There was one lady who came and talked with Elders Fuller and Semedo and Elder Fuller asked her if she would leave him standing on the door step instead of let him in, and she said 'not with those eyes!' Elder got so so red, it was hilarious! Then we walked to Relva again and it was hot and awful. Then we had a miracle where we were looking for a MA and we hadn't been able to find her, and Sister Davis felt like we should talk to this lady at a bus stop, and it was her, it was awesome! Then the elders had a baptism this week, and it was great. The boy even wore a suit, he didn't have a tie, but he was so cute and so excited, he even made himself an 'Elder' tag out of paper to copy the elders. He's only 12, so I hope he keeps up the desire to serve. We also got roped into choir. The choir needed sopranos (which S. Davis is not) and the performance they're doing, a tribute to JS, is next week. It's gonna be interesting because we don't know the music. Well, got to go! We're going to a garden with Cátia, a 15 year old member of the ward. She's awesome! I wish I had been like her! She calls us and asks us if she can help us all the time and then she spends all day with us. I wish I had been like that. Ryan should help the missionaries because he's old enough. Love you all! Have a great week! Talk to you all later!

Love always,

Sister Wach

Ola Família!

Thanks for the cool pictures Mom, and for not sending as many this time;). Tell Michelle her baby is adorable! The pictures of my plaque are cool! Tell Katiebug she looks gorgeous! I saw a little girl who looked like her the other day, it was fun:).

This week was good, and hard too. We had a couple days where we just walked and no one would talk to us and all our lessons fell through. It was awful! But then we had some really fabulous days too. There were a few days where we had a few just really good lessons and I talked a ton! It was sad though, we didn't hit ANY of our weekly goals, not one! We also got to have interviews with President and see Sister Fluckiger this week. That was fun. They're awesome. We also are getting a new apartment! We walked past it and we're supposed to walk through and see if it's suitable later, but the outside is REALLY gross haha, so we'll see. You never know with the houses in Portugal, it could be really gross outside and be absolutely gorgeous inside. The scary dog when we run, he was tied up this week, so that was great! It was also the Espirito Santo festival again this week! They paraded decorated cows through the streets and sang and carried Espirito Santo flags! It was crazy:). We also taught some really awesome people. Eleitos! We're teaching Natacha, who is just awesome and I can't even believe she's Portuguese because I always forget when we're with her, she's just awesome. She even texted us to set up the next lesson, which is CRAZY! Then we're teaching some people from Brazil, Maria and Wilson. Wilson is like halfway into 1 Néfi and we've only taught one lesson and Maria is just great too! Then we're teaching Carlos who understands the lessons really well, and Valdamiro, who we think thinks we're annoying, but he came to church this week and we didn't even have to go get him! I think he likes church a lot, just not us. He looked really spiffy too! Then we're still teaching Cátia, but she's not really progressing, so that's sad. We also ate out this week so that was awesome! We'd been smelling the place for weeks but couldn't eat there:P. So we ate there on Tuesday. We wanted to visit the caves today, but everything is closed on Mondays, which is depressing! We're gonna watch a movie with the Elders instead at a members house! Oh, can you send me stories and information about our family history?! We're doing an activity about it next week, and I don't have anything! Maybe talk with Gma Wach? Love you! Sorry, I'm out of time! Have a good week!~

Love, Sister Wach

So, this is gonna be a quick email because I had a billion emails to read (Mom!) and I haven't even finished reading all of them, I just printed them out and I'll read them later because it's a holiday today and everything is closed, and so we're having to take turns using the church computer today instead.

So this week was good. Tuesday we worked hard, but it was raining really really hard all day, and we went to do language study, and a member called and he said he would help and we ended up going to his house and looking like sad wet puppies. He's a barber, so next thing I know, I'm being blow dried and having my haircut! Then they fed us cookies, chocolate with milk (you know how I feel about milk! No worries, I'm getting my vitamin D, since everyone keeps making me drink huge amounts of milk!) and I can't remember the word, but I think they're called meringues? They were really nice, but we didn't study the language haha. I feel bad though because we know they don't have a lot of money, not even for gas in their car because no one is getting their haircut I guess at his salon, oh and he gave us a whole bunch of like salts for the tub and for our feet and shampoos and conditioners! I felt spoiled! 

We've been working a lot with menos activos, since most of the members in Portugal are menos activos, and this week we have just been visiting as many as possible, and one, her name is Zita. She was one of the first people on the island baptized, so she's been less active for 15+ years. She says she thought the missionaries were FBI agents planning to take over the Açores! She has this dumb bird that she's crazy about. She kept talking about throwing it out in the road, and then she would kiss it. She was talking about how we know nothing because we're young, it was interesting, but Sister Davis and I talked about how to get rid of the bird because she won't go to church because it can't stay by itself. We decided Maria Boloshies (misspell) covered in kitchen cleaner would work nicely;). Just kidding!

I've also decided something, dogs know who doesn't like them. They always come right for me! Usually when I'm wearing my white skirt so they can put their dirty paws on it! Yuck! 

Oh, and also, we wandered around our area today (sorry, no time for pictures) and it actually is kind of pretty in the tourist area! Who knew! Because it's a holiday, no Portuguese people are out, and the roads are COVERED in tourists! It's gonna be a slow day, that's for sure!

Oh, and the sun came out this week! For two days! It was great, just a little bit of sunshine we needed in our lives! I've also decided that I hate running here. It's associated with waking up, and it's all hills! Though we did find a nice little semi flat dirt path nearby that we run on, and this huge dog, that looks like a bear always barks at us through the fence, I make funny faces at him, it's great. Today he didn't chase us along the edge of the fence (him on his side, us on ours, no worry, it's a brick wall with barbed wire at the top, I would say we're safe!) and it was sad. 

It's always my job to pray during contacts, and one time this week I accidently closed the prayer in English! It was WAY weird. I don't know if the lady noticed, but it was so weird sounding. I can't pray in English anymore.

My feet aren't hurting so much anymore, so that's good! I am getting a little used to all this walking, though we did walk to Arrifes the other day to look for a menos activo, and that was quite the little uphill walk! Lots of fun!

Oh, and two of our investigators dumped us this week;( Rui and Celia. Rui says he isn't a church going guy, and Celia doesn't wanna get married. Celia wasn't too big of a deal because we didn't teach her, I was still sad because I want her and her daughters to have the gospel in their lives, but Rui we've spent weeks teaching, and I almost cried when he said that he didn't want to be taught anymore:(. But now we're teaching two orphans, Rui and Paula, and also a young man named Daniel who is Ryan's Portuguese twin!

Well, I'm out of time! I wish I could say more! 

Love you all!

Love always, 

Sister Wach


from Ricki:)  I sent a lot of emails that were pictures.  I could only send two pictures at a time.  I had lots of pictures of her friend Kenzie's wedding reception, Dakota's little brothers endowments (picture in front of temple), and his farewell.  lol.  Hope she enjoys them:):)

Ola Família!

I'm glad to hear things are going well. That's weird to think that Rye has a girlfriend! I want to see a picture!!! That's cool about Michelle, I was thinking she must be close, tell her I said congrats and that Emery is a cute name! Ashley should be having her baby soon too, right? Tell Kenz congrats also! I still didn't get my invitation, actually we haven't gotten any mail because we only get it once a transfer, we'll probably get it on the 12th of June? Send pictures! Tell Tressa that I love her! Tell her and Bergen that they'll do great! Yeah, poor Tressa, that's a long time in the MTC:P ick, but she has to learn a new alphabet and the language! Yikes! Tell Austin I said congrats also on graduating and everything else! That's crazy that all my friends are leaving!

So, I'm doing good:) We've had lots of rain, but it's not like heavy rain, it's like misty rain with lots of wind, and so we don't need umbrellas, I'm just really grateful for my raincoat! We were told that there won't be a summer at all here and that it won't get hot. Which on one hand is nice not to walk when it's hot, especially when there are so many hills, but on the other, remind me that I never want to live in Oregon or Washington or anywhere that it's cloudy all the time, it's just a tad depressing;). The stuff Sister Davis makes me eat is mostly just like sausage/rice stuff that I can't remember the name for, but it's good! We haven't gone shopping or anything like that, there isn't time, and my shoes... I hate them all:). My feet hurt! Oh well, the work must be done, achey feet or not! Plus there are lots of hills, all of me hurts:) I was gonna see if I could get some sandals, but my personal debit card doesn't work at ANY of the banks here! I haven't had any money for like 2 weeks! Chato! Could you see about changing all my money to the Bank of America? That's what the mission uses and I haven't had any problems with it. It's kind of stinky. But about my feet, Sister Davis was nice enough to give me these things that go in the heel area to protect them, so it's a little better:) We got our washer fixed today, which is nice since we've been washing our underwear by hand. I have no idea how people did that! But after we email I'm going right into the apartment to wash everything else again! Sister Davis and I both got bedding the day we got to the island, we had to run at 9 to the store and then run back! I was told to leave mine also because a sister told me there would be some in the apartment and I wouldn't need it because I needed to keep the weight down in my suitcase (she also told me I wouldn't need my tights either... never listening to her again, that's for sure!), but we're good now. The cows thankfully don't smell, and I like them haha everytime we pass them I love to point them out to poor Sister Davis like I'm a child and say "vaças!!" We have 6 elders on the island, there not too far from us, the closest ones, Elder Fuller and Elder Semedo, live in the same area as us because Ponta Delgada was split into two areas when Sister Davis and I got here. They're great. We think we have a meeting with the presidente (hopefully we'll get our mail!) on the 12th, but we'll see. Portuguese is not coming along at all. Hate the stuff haha. Okay, I love it, but it's not coming along at all. I can read it, but I can't speak it, and I can't understand anyone with a weird accent like the Cape Verdians or the Açorians:P. Super frustrating.

This week was good. Almost all of our appointments fell through for the whole week. That was kind of depressing. We had divisions for one day, and sisters flew down from the continent to divide with us. I got to be with Sister Walton, who was really nice and had about 8 months in the mission. I learned that Sister Davis is an amazing missionary! I knew that already, but now I really know it! She can get pretty much anyone to listen to us, or at least take our card. Working with Sister Walton was cool though. But they ate all my yogurt;). We haven't been up to much. We're trying to meet with all the less actives, which is really really hard as the list of less actives is about 5 times larger than the list of actives. Most of Portugal is like that. We're still working with Rui. He came to church this week, but didn't stay through the whole thing. He says he likes it more or less. I don't know how not smoking is going because he always says he's doing it less, but I'm not so sure:). Who knows though. Pedro didn't bother us much this week, though he did call two nights ago at 2:30 am! Thankfully the volume was off on the phone. We're teaching a woman named Catia and her boyfriend Marco. Sister Davis found them on her division with Sister Suzarte. We went to pick her up for church and she said she was sick, so that was kinda stinky. Then we're working still with Suzana, but we haven't seen her in a few days. Our two marcadas for this week, Lordes and Celia are not answering any of our calls or going to church, and both still are not married, so we don't know what's going on. We'll see. We had three people come to church though, which is an improvement. We had Rui, Antonio (the man he never stops talking long enough for us to teach a lesson:)), and a man named Carlos who has trouble walking, but that we met the night before. We invited him to come and he said he would, and he was halfway to the church when we went to get him, so that was cool, he was even clean shaven, though a little drunk;). He seems like a nice guy and he said he would come next week also. Oh, I had kind of cool experience this week, Sister Walton and I were looking for a woman named Margarida Andrade who is a less active, but was the primary president once upon a time, and all we had was a kind of address, and her name (and the address was wrong), and a telephone number no one would answer, so we went to her apartment, and we knocked on all the doors and got frustrated and so we decided to call the number again only to realize that we could hear the phone ring through the window! We found it, though she wasn't there, Sister Davis and I went back later and she was. She seems very nice. Oh, and we had to walk like an hour, we went to visit a member and we thought that there was another bus, but there wasn't and so we had to walk back! Thank goodness it was downhill and it was a miracle we found our way! Oh, and we've dubbed this island the "Ilha of the Deportees!" Because half the people we talk to are Portuguese men who were deported from Boston for being naughty:) Lots of fun, they're very nice, and they don't speak Portuguese! Sadly there isn't anything we have in English to teach (like LDM or pamphlets) on the whole island! But we teach them anyway.

Well I must go! Love you all!

Love always,

Sister Wach