Slideshow....:)
Oh my I really have no idea where to even start!
First my área is called Vila Franca de Xira. I arrived on Thursday and ever since then I have just been in a huge daze haha. When we landed I had so much jet lag it was unreal. We went from the airport straight to this church building and had a big zone meeting.(meeting with all of the missionaries so they could be assigned their companions) I honestly couldn't stay awake it was so hard. I had basically been flying for 24 hours. But presidente and sister Fluckiger are so nice! After that big meeting we didn't get home till about 9:40.
That´s when i actually saw the área I was in! My heck this place is nothing like you would ever imagine haha. It is this small town in west Lisbon that is pretty rural with some awesome graffiti and humble people. Day to night looks pretty different. There are some really pretty places here. My apartment isn't too bad! It does have some bad mold in the kitchen but, oh well can't really do much about that. We have warm beds so thats all that matters haha. Its just me and Sister Wood, it gets pretty quiet sometimes but I've gotten used to it. I miss having all 6 sisters to live with.
Okay, so now my new comp! A small little thing about her! She is seriously so awesome! She's from Riverton, Utah and is just like me. We get along so well its gonna be great. She is amazing with speaking portuguese and this is her 6th transfer. Its gonna be a good 6 weeks with her.
My Portugal People!!!!
So when I got here, just about everyone wanted to meet the new sister in the área. Right after I arrived on Friday-Sunday we had a ton lessons and meeting everyone. I am just falling in love with everyone, they're so nice and understand that I don't speak that well, but they love my effort! haha. Oh my heck its literally impossible to understand these people sometimes haha. They speak so quickly that it is hard to understand, so I have to really concentrate! We went to a members (his name is L), his wife is not a member (she is adorable!) but his daughter K. is. I got there and inside the home (all made out of cement) we went into the dining roõm and they had made me cake! They are seriously so sweet! A little about them.... L is such a strong member and so his is daughter! He is a shepherd! He has around 24 sheep and so this next week we are going to go over and feed them. yay! He knows that I run so I said I would run his sheep for him haha.
Next we have J and her family.... she is also a non-active (to clarify for those that may need it -someone who has been baptized, but doesn't attend regularly) and her family is so freaking funny. I came in to meet them and her son M is 17,her other son J is 13. I sat down and they all came over calling me Barbie haha. After that they couldn't stop looking at my blue eyes. Basically they love me. (ha ha) The husband is not a member, and really everyone here smokes, so the house literally smells like smoke so everytime we walk out of their house we smell like smoke too :( (not used to that)
Also M wanted us to eat what he made for dinner which was fish sticks and yummy fries haha. I just got a pile of grease and yumminess haha. I stuck it out. They are sweet though, nõt everyone..... actually no one has you over for dinner because they don't have a lot of money so we really appreciate anything they offer to us.
Right now cereal, (basically water) as milk, apples, eggs and bread are my fav. Yesterday I tried to made spaghetti! It's just not the same haha but we made the best of it haha. The bread is amazing and so I make sandwiches on the daily. Oh and sister wood introduced me to Farturas (churrõs with nutella inside) AMAZING.
I don't even know what else to say, things are crazy here.
I basically pass out every night because I am sooo tired!
We walk up hills on the daily, even more hills than San Francisco! ~sometimes Its smells like smoke EVERYWHERE, 99% of the people here smoke, you just have to get used to it.
Sweet clothes here and cool little shops and whatnot, very inexpensive! Oh and everyone gives beijinhos (kisses on the cheek.) No hugs ever! lol
You also have to let them open the door for you.... always. :)
I was asked to give a talk next week in church which should be fun haha- you know I am nervous about that.
My Portuguese is coming along, I just started sharing escritures so a poco a poco ya know! (pretty sure that means a little bit of the scriptures?)
I say at least 20 prayers a day, either on the street or where ever. Sister Wood just uses me as an excuse to say a prayer with a random person...she´ll say," oh well this is Sister Elliott and she's from America, can she practice her Portuguese and say the prayer?" hahaha ya that's basically how it goes every day lol. I know that once I hear her say "American" its my turn haha.
The weather here is kind of cold, I would say like beach weather with good wind.
Everyones name is ethier Joao, Jose, Bruno or Bruna orrr Concecieu haha so i get so mixed up sometimes when trying to figure out which person we are going to go visit.
Everyone "whistles" here...at us hahaha ya just ignore it. (I'm sure it will help with their self esteem- HA HA HA)
Well, it's been sweet so far and I really do miss everyone. It's a culture shock at first, but I know I will love it. We also had 3 members come to church which is awesome! In this mission we work with a ton of recent converts and not active members. We love to be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone and it seems that the most recent members need a lot of our guidance/support which is really fun because we have so many people to talk too. It is wonderful to be able to see people change their hearts and their lives. This is going to be a great mission and I can't wait to serve the people of Vila Franca de Xira!
Talk to ya soon!!
-Sista Elliott
First my área is called Vila Franca de Xira. I arrived on Thursday and ever since then I have just been in a huge daze haha. When we landed I had so much jet lag it was unreal. We went from the airport straight to this church building and had a big zone meeting.(meeting with all of the missionaries so they could be assigned their companions) I honestly couldn't stay awake it was so hard. I had basically been flying for 24 hours. But presidente and sister Fluckiger are so nice! After that big meeting we didn't get home till about 9:40.
That´s when i actually saw the área I was in! My heck this place is nothing like you would ever imagine haha. It is this small town in west Lisbon that is pretty rural with some awesome graffiti and humble people. Day to night looks pretty different. There are some really pretty places here. My apartment isn't too bad! It does have some bad mold in the kitchen but, oh well can't really do much about that. We have warm beds so thats all that matters haha. Its just me and Sister Wood, it gets pretty quiet sometimes but I've gotten used to it. I miss having all 6 sisters to live with.
Okay, so now my new comp! A small little thing about her! She is seriously so awesome! She's from Riverton, Utah and is just like me. We get along so well its gonna be great. She is amazing with speaking portuguese and this is her 6th transfer. Its gonna be a good 6 weeks with her.
My Portugal People!!!!
So when I got here, just about everyone wanted to meet the new sister in the área. Right after I arrived on Friday-Sunday we had a ton lessons and meeting everyone. I am just falling in love with everyone, they're so nice and understand that I don't speak that well, but they love my effort! haha. Oh my heck its literally impossible to understand these people sometimes haha. They speak so quickly that it is hard to understand, so I have to really concentrate! We went to a members (his name is L), his wife is not a member (she is adorable!) but his daughter K. is. I got there and inside the home (all made out of cement) we went into the dining roõm and they had made me cake! They are seriously so sweet! A little about them.... L is such a strong member and so his is daughter! He is a shepherd! He has around 24 sheep and so this next week we are going to go over and feed them. yay! He knows that I run so I said I would run his sheep for him haha.
Next we have J and her family.... she is also a non-active (to clarify for those that may need it -someone who has been baptized, but doesn't attend regularly) and her family is so freaking funny. I came in to meet them and her son M is 17,her other son J is 13. I sat down and they all came over calling me Barbie haha. After that they couldn't stop looking at my blue eyes. Basically they love me. (ha ha) The husband is not a member, and really everyone here smokes, so the house literally smells like smoke so everytime we walk out of their house we smell like smoke too :( (not used to that)
Also M wanted us to eat what he made for dinner which was fish sticks and yummy fries haha. I just got a pile of grease and yumminess haha. I stuck it out. They are sweet though, nõt everyone..... actually no one has you over for dinner because they don't have a lot of money so we really appreciate anything they offer to us.
Right now cereal, (basically water) as milk, apples, eggs and bread are my fav. Yesterday I tried to made spaghetti! It's just not the same haha but we made the best of it haha. The bread is amazing and so I make sandwiches on the daily. Oh and sister wood introduced me to Farturas (churrõs with nutella inside) AMAZING.
I don't even know what else to say, things are crazy here.
I basically pass out every night because I am sooo tired!
We walk up hills on the daily, even more hills than San Francisco! ~sometimes Its smells like smoke EVERYWHERE, 99% of the people here smoke, you just have to get used to it.
Sweet clothes here and cool little shops and whatnot, very inexpensive! Oh and everyone gives beijinhos (kisses on the cheek.) No hugs ever! lol
You also have to let them open the door for you.... always. :)
I was asked to give a talk next week in church which should be fun haha- you know I am nervous about that.
My Portuguese is coming along, I just started sharing escritures so a poco a poco ya know! (pretty sure that means a little bit of the scriptures?)
I say at least 20 prayers a day, either on the street or where ever. Sister Wood just uses me as an excuse to say a prayer with a random person...she´ll say," oh well this is Sister Elliott and she's from America, can she practice her Portuguese and say the prayer?" hahaha ya that's basically how it goes every day lol. I know that once I hear her say "American" its my turn haha.
The weather here is kind of cold, I would say like beach weather with good wind.
Everyones name is ethier Joao, Jose, Bruno or Bruna orrr Concecieu haha so i get so mixed up sometimes when trying to figure out which person we are going to go visit.
Everyone "whistles" here...at us hahaha ya just ignore it. (I'm sure it will help with their self esteem- HA HA HA)
Well, it's been sweet so far and I really do miss everyone. It's a culture shock at first, but I know I will love it. We also had 3 members come to church which is awesome! In this mission we work with a ton of recent converts and not active members. We love to be able to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with everyone and it seems that the most recent members need a lot of our guidance/support which is really fun because we have so many people to talk too. It is wonderful to be able to see people change their hearts and their lives. This is going to be a great mission and I can't wait to serve the people of Vila Franca de Xira!
Talk to ya soon!!
-Sista Elliott