Hey Mom!

The stuff didn't help my face at all. I have taken it every day without missing even one time and nothing changed. I stopped taking it, and I talked to Sister Fluckiger instead and she had me go to a dermatologist. So, I'm now on Accutane. Turns out that I don't have to do all the really crazy stuff that I had to do the last time I tried to take it (going to the doctor tons, taking birth control, etc) because the doctor thought we were nuns. Good stuff. My face hasn't changed too much because it's only been a few days, but we'll see:). When I'm done taking what she gave me, I'll go back to taking what you sent because at least I'll have the other in my system also. Sister Stokes is really great. She's super sweet. I'm glad Sister Pinto liked my picture. Inacia, the woman in the picture, She´s 92. But, she comes to church every week and she says she wants to help us and walk with us because our portuguese isn't good (supposedly, but hey, people say they understand), she also insists that she wants to pay her tithing and that she paid to be baptized. She always says that this is "the church of the future." Boy is she right, the church of the past, present and future far beyond what the mind can comprehend:). Gotta love old people:). Sounds like ya´ll had a fun week! A little bit crazy, but crazy is better than boring:). I don't mind hearing about the project, it sounds like it's going really well:). Oh, and I did get the seeds. Thanks! I got two things at the same time from you because the elders in the office had been hiding them from me haha:). 

So I have some lovely things that are gonna add a little stress to your next few days:). Christmas packages have to be sent from the US by the 21st of this month. If not, then we won't get them by Christmas. They might get to the office in time, but we won't get them until after Christmas the next time that president comes. I can't really think of anything that I want, but I do have a few things to ask for. I was wondering if you could send me a new watch (I gave mine surgery, it was falling apart and so I sewed it and then I taped it... it's a wreck;)), some mascara (I like the Covergirl eyelights waterproof one in the color black gold, so if you can find that one, that's great, if not, no worries), a white short sleeve shirt from Downeast Basics, and a thing of deodorant (the kind they have here is awful. I like the Dove kind, but whatever, beggers can't be choosers:)), and I think that's it:). Sorry, it's a long list for short notice:P.

Well, this week was good. we were busy, so that was nice. We spent a lot of time with the members, which is my favorite. One thing I've learned about missionary work is that when the members are your friends, it is just so much better, they're willing to take you to meet their friends, or to spend the day working with you. The members here are awesome. Every week we teach an English class, we also have a gospel principles class, and family home evening, plus this week, I taught the young women how to make brigadeiros in the microwave, which was way fun. We were supposed to have the young men too, but they ended up going to a soccer game in our area in the stadium of Benfica that was Portugal vs. Sweden. Portugal won. They scored one goal, Ronaldo (who is very very nice looking...;)), scored it and people are still excited about it. When the game ended we happened to be in the area (we got in house late because we couldn't even walk through all the crowds, and I lost Sister Stokes twice!), and it looked like a gigantic mass of thousands of people leaving a funeral. They all looked so sad, I thought they'd lost. The Portuguese are so different that us in the US! We would have been going crazy:).

I can't think of anything really to say, we haven't been up to anything new. Arlindo (Jessica's grandpa), nothing has changed with him (he fell up the stairs in his apartment building and so he couldn't walk to go down them so he could go to church, and so he didn't come:(). Guilherme didn't come to church, which was super super sad. We did have a man who showed up though named Eduardo. Sister Briggs and I met him last transfer. He came up to us and asked us how he could get Joseph Smith's Bible, and so we handed him the Book of Mormon. Yesterday was the first time I haven't seen him drunk. I think he liked church a lot though, so that's cool. He always has lots of wacky questions. Sister Briggs and I called him Eduardo Mushrooms because he told us one time that that's the way that he has spiritual experiences and how great mushrooms (the drug kind) are, and then he tried to convince us we should try it. I couldn't believe that he actually came to church so that was awesome. Then the girl that we met last week, who was the friend of a member, she went to YWs and to seminary once this week. She really likes the church, she likes that we don't scream when we pray. She says she wants to be baptized, but she's still underage and she doesn't have the time right now to talk to us. I hope we can figure it out though because I would love to see her and her niece baptized:). Oh, Yesterday, we spent almost all day with an inactive member. She was super nice, and she's gonna come to church on Sunday because Irmã Ellen is gonna give her a ride. We stayed to long and We had 30 minutes left before we could go inside and we tried to contact a few people, but it was super pathetic. We contacted this man and his dog, introduced ourselves and asked him if he believed in God, and he said no, and we were so tired we didn't even keep trying to talk to him when he walked away haha. Then we decided to wander on our street and contact everyone that we saw... which was no one because it was cold and dark and a Sunday, but we were about to turn back when we saw a young man and we decided we should talk to him. His name is Hugo and he speaks English perfectly and he's really awesome. He was super curious and we ended up teaching him the first lesson in the road, in English, which it is super hard to teach in english, especially to pray. We're gonna meet with him this week, and we're excited about it. It's funny, because we were so anxious to go inside and we had like 15 minutes til we could go inside and we talked to him and we ended up going in 5 minutes after the latest we can be outside (we can go in the house at 9:30 and we HAVE to be in the house by 10 or else we have to call the Zone leaders)! 

Well, I've got to go! Love you all tons! This gospel is true!

Love,

Sister Wach