It's not about you...

So this week was great but my computer is being really slow and so it is really hard to email, but Sister Shipp´s email sums up our week really great! So here is my week in the eyes of Sister Shipp:)

Its not about you is the title of a youth song that was basically our theme song for the week!! Its this great song that talks about how everything in life isn't about you... its about the people you serve and the difference you make in the life of those around you. Every time we feel hot or tired or hungry or want to complain about our circumstances we sing its not about you ohhhhhh hahah. This week was also the trial of our faith week! We studied the Christlike attribute faith and then this week we had to use more faith than i ever have in my life so it was pretty cool that we had just studied it! We were trying to work as hard as we could and really fast from the things on our lists do everything that we could and we were just not having any success. We were knocking and knocking and knocking and talking and talking all week and not finding anyone! But... we just had to have faith that we were doing our part and we cant take away peoples agency! We had to have faith in Heavenly Fathers plan for each one of His children and trust that this truly is His work! Even though it was a hard week, I was able to see so many tender mercies and miracles and it was one of the happiest weeks yet!(: 

Sister Sampson insert: Also when things are hard we play this game where we say everything we are grateful for and it is pretty great and helped us stay happy. I highly suggest it if you are ever having a bad day.

So we have this one lady named is E- and she used to be an investigator and one day a few weeks ago she called and asked to meet with us, but after she said she couldn't meet with us anymore cause she lives with her son and he wont let her( this makes me really angry cause why in the world is the son controlling his moms life) BUT anyway she started calling us a few times a week and we just sing her a hymn and pray and share a scripture with her. It is such a simple thing but I can tell that every time it helps her feel so much better and the Spirit is always so strong. I'm so grateful for the simple ways in which we share the light of the gospel with others. Its times like that when i really feel like i am helping people come unto Christ and I'm so grateful that me and Sister Sampson can be there to help her(: 

On Wednesday we knocked a million doors I think and did 100 contacts! Me and sister sampson do this thing where we pick a hymn and then click it out on our pen and the other person tries to guess what hymn it is... we are so weird but when the days are long it is the funnest thing ever! I realized i have a hidden talent of being able to guess hymns by hearing them clicked out with a pen! We met with a less active member named J- that afternoon and we are having a noite familiar with her and her 2 daughters tonight! We also got to go to ward council and we were so happy cause we got tons of members set up to come to our lessons! Members truly are amazing tools in teaching the gospel!! 

We had district meeting on Thursday and we talked about Presidents letter and it focused a lot on how the little decisions that we make every day will shape how we feel at the end of our mission! I'm trying to make little choices every day and every week that will eventually make a big difference in the end! We had a desafio this week to do one baptismal convite every day and it was 9:10 and we still hadn't found anyone to invite and we were walking back to our apartment looking everywhere but there was no one out! Then out of nowhere we saw 2 ladies walking down the hill and we ran up to them and invited them to be baptized(: Afterwards sister sampson said she had said a prayer that we would find someone to invite... I know Heavenly Father truly hears and answers our prayers! 

The rest of the week we just worked super super hard! We found a really cool lady last night and talked about the Book of Mormon, we survived 110 degree weather (Sister Sampson insert: We were dying of heat on Sunday, but this nice man let us in the apartment building and so sister Shipp and I sat in the dark stair way to cool off a little and drink some water. It was so funny, but #tendermercy), ate some amazing ice cream (Portugal has the best ice cream), and knocked a lot of doors! I'm so grateful for the things i am learning here and I know that Heavenly Father is helping me become the missionary He needs me to be! I love this Gospel with all my heart and I love being a missionary! I hope everyone enjoys the solar eclipse thingy and have a great week! 

Com Amor, 

Sister Shipp 

Sister Sampson insert: I just want to tell you all that I love you and I know Heavenly Father loves you too! If there are two things that I learned this week it is that gratitude really does make for a better life and that it's not about me! With those two things my week was the best! Talk to you next week!

com amor,

Sister Sampson