Tchao Seixal!

Olá Amigos!!!

Hope you all had a great week this week!!

We were having a great week until we received ANOTHER phone call on Friday. A phone call saying our area would be whitewashed (meaning that we will both leaving Seixal). That’s two transfers in a row, I think president likes to rip my heart out... This phone call totally caught me by surprise and I might of almost started crying during the call because I only have 6 weeks here in Seixal, which is like NOTHING!! I still don’t know the area that great, or even half of the members. But I know I am needed in another place.

Seixal will be whitewashed which really surprised me. They want to make it a model area, so they are putting two sister training leaders here to do divisions with the rest of the sisters. They will do really good work here and baptize a lot of I am not worried. Sister Truman is going to Setubal (same city as sister Conrad but a different ward/area), she already had 3 transfers here so I thought she would leave and I would get another companion.  I am sad to leave Seixal because the ward here is incredible and the people here are WAY receptive. But since I only have 6 weeks I don’t feel that attached to the area. I would of liked to serve here at least 2 other transfers.

We had to wait until last night to receive our new areas, but the call came and I will serve in FARO!!! It’s in the Algarve, and like the most Southern part of Portugal (So its way hot there most of the time). I am SUPER excited because I have wanted to serve in the Algarve for a lot of time so it should be good. Sister Conrad served there, it was her first area, and she LOVED it!  It is a little smaller and more like Mafra, which is good.  They have a branch there which I am excited about.  I was a little overwhelmed with a ward here…. BUT I am going to a WHITEWASH (meaning that its going to be two new missionaries in the area together) and I am SO nervous. I have said since my first transfer that I never want to whitewash.. so we will see how this goes. We may end up a little lost but hey, we will learn a lot. My companion is Sister Rubio and she’s from BRAZIL!! I am excited to serve with a native again, and I know my Portuguese will get a lot better so I am excited about that!!! She only has 2 more transfers left on her mission so I am excited to work hard and learn a ton from her! Also I will probably kill her because she only has 2 more transfers on her mission. But she served in Mafra last transfer so that will be way fun to talk about all my people with her!! It will be a great transfer if we can find our way around the city hahahha plz pray for me!!

On a sadder note I found out that they closed Mafra. I am way sad about this because that’s the city I was born in and it had my whole heart!! But its a really hard area and we are losing a lot of missionaries in the next few transfers so it just didn’t make sense to keep it open :( Everyone keep Felyphe in your prayers that he can stay strong without missionaries there (he is doing great right now! He got the priesthood yesterday and has a testimony SO strong).  This is so hard because Felyphe is SO strong there right now, but Mem Martins is like an hour away and 10 euros every week and he doesnt have that much money. I am really worried about him and what he will do. ON a brighter note is got the priesthood yesterday and he bore his testimony last fast Sunday (which is HUGE for him!!! He is so shy!!) 

Also I am way sad to leave Seixal! The ward here is SO good. They help so much with the missionary work and are all so sweet. Also I am most sad to leave Mayara, our recent convert, and her mom, Elisangela! Elisangela will be baptized on Saturday and I am so excited for her! Its sad because Algarve is like 3 hours away so I won’t be able to attend the baptism (I have the worst luck with baptisms and transfers) but I know she is so ready and it will bring their family SO much happiness!! We have one last lesson with them tonight, but I am going to miss our visits with them! They really are incrível and were prepared to receive the gospel!!  I am so happy for Elisangela! She is so ready!! Her story is pretty incredible too! She talked with the sisters like 10 years ago, but then decided she wasn’t interested more. Then we taught Mayara and she was baptized and at the baptism of Mayray Elisangela felt the spirit telling her that this church is the right church to join. She has never been baptized in any church before so she always wanted too, but never could find one that was right. But now she knows that this one is right and that there was a reason that none of them felt right until this church. I am so excited for her and will be a day really special!! 

 Other than that our week has been good. Some members are sad to see us go.. others just yell "TRAITORS" and storm off hahahah-

Also we had divisions in Setubal this week and a cat peed on my foot. And I was wearing flats. And people wonder why I don’t like animals.

Also a creepy man was following us and asked if we liked Donald Trump.. I was with a sister who is only on her 2nd transfer so she didn’t really understand what he was saying so I just responded yes.. he then just said "I don’t want anything to do with you guys" and walked away. SO yea I found a way to get rid of the creepers. The sister was way confused what happened and I just said "I said we like Donald Trump" hahaha

But yea this week has been a rollercoaster.. I am sad to leave Seixal and this awesome ward, but I know I am needed in Faro. It will be a good area and a good transfer!!

The worst part about this is because our area is getting whitewashed we will have all of our bags, and then I am entering a whitewash I am going to an area with all of our bags, and we wont even know how to find our house HAHAHHA I will die. Literally DIE!! Plz pray for me. 

But yea it will be fun to serve with sister Rubio! We did splits with her my first transfer and she is a really good missionary! I will learn a lot and we will work really hard which I am excited about!! But I just really don’t like moving areas so I already know that this week will be difficult 

Com Muito Amor,

Sister Jones