Sweet tooth is still alive!

We went to the temple grounds again this week because Sister Bleyl wanted to see it before going home. There is already a bunch of progress actually!!! We want to sight see and see cool things before going home so it’s been good! 

I forgot that this week is Thanksgiving! Maybe I will make mashed potatoes or something! We found a recipe to make Pumpkin pie (They don’t have canned pumpkin here so its hard) so maybe we will try that! Have I told you that this transfer we are cooking like real food? Its been going good. Haven’t had any fires and we aren’t getting sick. You know I gotta get prepared for home life haha. But Thanksgiving will be fun! Last year I got way sad about Thanksgiving but I don’t even think it will phase me this week! 

 Yea, I got your card last week! Thank you!!! I loved it! I go to the mission office on Wednesday so I will see if I get the package. For Christmas I don’t want things. I really only want cards and things like that!! I don’t wan to have to lug everything around with me, especially if I am going home right after Christmas! Just cards and maybe chocolates and treats?? But if not, don’t even worry about a package! 

I wrote a letter for you guys I will send home this week that has more details about my life lately haha!! 

 Brigadeiro. Its the BEST! Its a Brazilian dessert made of sweetened condensed milk, chocolate and chocolate sprinkles

He is the details

Hello!! 

We had a good week here in Barreiro! I have a new companion, Sister Bleyl! She is from Scotland and its been a good first week together!! You know, including running away from dogs together because we both hate them, so you know its going to be a good transfer haha 

We had a conference with President Owens, general Young Men’s President, and Elder Durrant, Counselor in the Sunday School Presidency. It was a really good conference. They talked a lot about the need to try even harder when things get difficult, and not get discouraged and give up. Fight the good fight until the very end. It was the perfect reminder and the best way to start off a new transfer! 

I got my trunky call this week. It was like 9:45 pm and the office elders called and I was like what the heck do they want?? And I answer it, and it’s an elder that I arrived with here in the field and he was like "So I am talking to Sister Jones, right? "Yes" "Perfect, that’s exactly who I need to talk to. We have some news for you. Are you sitting down because its exciting news.." "Umm.. What is it?" *cue heart attack that something bad happened to my family or something like that* "Well, we have been notified that YOURE GOING HOME!!!" and then started playing music that talked about home. I was like oh man are you serious?? Haha it was basically them planning my plane flight home so they needed all my information. My plane will take off on January 30th. So yep, that happened. 

I don’t have any pictures because last week this computer place deleted ALL of my pictures. I was SO sad. The thing is, almost all of my pictures are on that Google drive or on my email, but still. I was SO sad. So yeah, next week I will send pictures from the chapel before email. Sorry!! 

I have been studying the talk "By Devine Design" by Elder Rasband with my family this week. He has a quote that I really like that says:

"When we are righteous, willing, and able, when we are striving to be worthy and qualified, we progress to places we never imagined and become part of Heavenly Fathers Devine Design"

I love this quote because it doesn’t say, if you are perfect at everything and have time and the talents Heavenly Father with use you. It is saying that if you are striving and willing, and with the desire, Heavenly Father will use you. And there is NOTHING better than being on the Lord´s errand. My favorite part here in the mission is being the answer to people’s prayers, and also seeing how my prayers are answered through other people. 

Lets all try to be a little more sensitive to the spirit and follow the FIRST prompting this week. 

Have a great week!! Love you guys!! 

Sister Jones 

Time is flying by so fast....

Hello everyone!! We had a good few weeks! Time flies by here in the field seriously!! 

We had a good week of work, moved homes, celebrated Halloween (I was a sister Missionary, I know so original I bet you guys would of never guessed it), and have been seeing miracles!! The work here in this area is really good! We teach a bunch of lessons every week, 4 of our investigators showed up to church on Sunday and things are going good!

We saw the ground of the Lisbon temple a few weeks ago and it was so cool to see this building being built!! I am so excited for all the wonderful people here who will be able to go to the temple easier here in the next year! Also excited to find more people and help them prepare to receive the temple blessings! I LOVE THE TEMPLE! 

SIMMM We have transfers tomorrow!!! My comp is leaving and I am getting Sister Bleyl. She is from Scotland!

About my back, I didn’t talk to anyone because it started feeling better this week! I called Sister Tavares this week to just talk and I said a prayer before to know if I should talk about my back, but when I was talking to her I felt like it would all be good so we will see. I promise that this week if there are problems I will talk to them. I think the big problem is that it started to get cold and it is always the most painful when its cold, but I have gotten used to it. But also, 12 weeks really isn’t that long haha we will see. BUT Don’t worry!!! Seriously!!! I am FINE!  **Mom note:  she has never told her Mission President or his wife about even breaking her back so they have no idea about the possibility of there ever being a problem**

Here you go, pictures of our 4 house apartment on our last day living together before we moved out, temple grounds, our branch at a baptism this week, and my halloween pictures being a missionary. 

Have a great week!! Love you all!! 

Construction of the Lisbon, Portugal Temple

 Halloween costume...super original!

 Baptism!

A piece of Madalyn's letter to her Mom

I don’t have much time, but thanks for the solid email! Looks like Halloween activities are going good! Here in Portugal Halloween isn’t a thing. Like maybe the youth celebrate it just because of movies, but we don’t do anything special haha.

I was thinking about the fact that is had been 3 years since I broke my back and it seems so crazy. 3 years is a LONG time! I still look back on that experience as a miracle. The humbling experience that I needed at that time for sure.   The problem? Recently my back has been giving me major problems. idk what it is, but only 3 more months of toughing it out haha. But it’s nothing like when I broke my back. It’s the part of my back right bellow the fusion. I don’t want to get it checked out because of the cost and Sister Tavares will have to contact the doctor in Germany.  Its a pretty complicated case to explain to them here.. hahah ! You know.. I will just play it safe and not say anything.

We moved houses this week!!! Our house is so nice now!! But it is also empty!! Its so weird!!! There is only our beds and everything. Sorry the internet in the library stopped working so now we are in this sketchy internet café and only have an hour so emails are going to be way short.  Also I don’t trust this computer to upload pictures, so next week for sure!

Love you!!