Portugal!!!!!!

I MADE IT!!! Portugal is AWESOME! I am serving in a town across the river from Lisbon called Barreiro. It is really old and so cool! Everyone keeps telling me its the ugliest place in Portugal, but I love it!! My trainer is Sister Hoffman, and she is awesome! She has been here for almost a year and her Portuguese is amazing! Mine Portuguese is not so amazing, but I have to keep reminding myself I have only been here for four days... We try to speak in Portuguese as much as possible, and I have been learning pretty fast. I have found the easiest is bearing my testimony, sister Hoffman says that because there is so little I can say, when I do talk the spirit is able to talk A LOT. I have found that to be true. We are teaching a man named Tito and his wife, and they are awesome! We met him on my first day just walking down the street. We talked to him about the book of Mormon and he was so excited when we gave him one of his own! He grew up in Angola and apparently when he was younger an inspired man (he said `prophet`) told him he had been born and grown up in the church of Angola, but wouldn´t die in it, so from then, he started looking! He is so incredibly prepared! And his wife is awesome too! He told her he wouldn´t go to any church until he found the right one, and after our lesson with them (which was awesome! I bore my testimony of Christ and the spirit was so strong they both were like `what is this feeling? it feels warm`   I was like, ummm... thats the spirit! So cool!) We invited them to church and they said yes! He came this Sunday and loved it! I love him so much, he is amazing. 

    So much is different here in Europe! We have milk just sitting on the shelf! And everyone has their laundry hanging out their windows! Lunch is the big meal here, not dinner, so we have lunch with members instead of dinner! Often times we eat so much at lunch, we aren´t even hungry for dinner! The first day we ate with a member from Brazil and Sis Hoffman told me they have never served them fish, but fish we had. And I ate it! Still not my fav, but I promised the Lord I would eat whatever I was given! We have been given so much awesome food! Most of it is very different, but so good! I love this place so much, I never want to leave!  Our schedule is a little different here too, we wake up at 7 and go to bed at 11 because everyone goes to bed so late here! I have worn pants a few times too! Its so comfortable! We walk everywhere in this mission! My legs are going to be so strong! We took a metro and a boat to get here from Lisbon which was fun! 

   The language is definitely hard. Everyone has been talking at me so rapidly and I don´t get any of it, but I am starting to catch bits and pieces which is fun! I am also able to talk a little, even though I know that I am wrong most of the time. (I asked sister Hoffman if she would correct me, but she said no because she doesn´t want me to be discouraged... so thats that.) 

I am so excited about the news about being able to contact my family more directly every P-day, I am starting to get whiplash from all the changes, but Its so exciting! I know we have a living prophet on the earth today, he is lead by God! I am so grateful to be a part of Christs church and to have this opportunity to share the thing that is most precious to me with others. I know God loves us and I know the church is true!

Love, Sister Hardy