Keep the Commandments

Ola familia e amigos! Dude, I have no idea what to write about this week, so this might be a little random.

First, Thank You Sommer for the birthday package! It was sent to my old house and there was all kinds of craziness about how I had to send a copy of my ID and wait to receive a package slip, sign it, and send it back.  Even then those poor Irmas who are in Mem Martins now had to argue with the mail guy to get him to break some kind of Portuguese law and give them my package to send to me. But, thanks so much! I'll get it in like two weeks; once they drop it off in Lisbon.

This week was really good! I turned 22! Weird. So freakin' weird. I'm getting old and becoming a grown up; kind of. Irma Palmer keeps me nice and young. We laugh too much. Seriously, I love my companion. She is amazing and I will be best friends with her forever!

We taught some really great lessons this week, but here's one that I really enjoyed. Carlos has been an investigator for a really long time and hasn't really progressed even though he prayed and received an answer that the Book of Mormon is true. This is because he is addicted to smoking, and also really really enjoys marijuana and coffee. Those are all no-goes.

So we've been working with him on stopping all of those habits but he still hadn't been taught about the law of chastity. Yay! So in order to make sure his addictive tendencies didn't also translate into a problem with pornography, we taught him the law of chastity. It went a lot better than expected. I actually felt really bad for him because he told us about how he's not dating anyone right now because his girlfriend of seven years broke up with him and started dating one of his best friends. Sad freaking day. You could just see the pain when he talked about it. so we testified that in order to avoid getting ourselves that hurt we can maintain healthier relationships and make better choices that have more to do with respect than with following the natural man.

We watched that video Together Forever that I think is horribly cheesy but, hey, what can you do? Turns out, he LOVED IT. Seriously. He was going on and on about how much he liked it.  He told us he felt like that's what relationships are supposed to be like. Then we committed him to live the law of chastity and it was good. So we were about to leave and I was like. "Oh, wait, just one thing.. we're taking away this pornographic calendar.  Because when you look at her you have no respect for her and you don't see her as a daughter of God even though she is." And he got up and took it off the wall himself and handed it to us! I was so proud of him! Then we had a good time ripping it up and putting it in the dumpster.

And so, to go along with the theme of the fact that we should all keep the commandments, especially the law of chastity, and word of wisdom, here's a fun story for you guys! Today was p-day and we needed to go shopping so we went to this mall in part of our area. We went to go get lunch in the mall after right, and so I go to this place and I get some pasta and the guy's like, "What do you want to drink?"
I say, "lemonade".  Just lemonade. That's it. I said one word, "limonada" and then I go to my seat and I start eating and I get halfway through this lemonade and then all of the sudden the spirit is like, "pay attention, something's not right" So I smelled my lemonade. Don't worry, it was definitely alcoholic. I have NO IDEA how I didn't notice that for half the glass. I really couldn't even taste it, it was only when I smelled it that I recognized it. Craziness. So I have already repented for that accident and that I didn't just get water instead because Europe is sketchy like that. But there ya go, I turned 22 and I accidentally broke the word of wisdom this week! Yay! but the word of wisdom is true. Don't drink.

I have a strong testimony that it will make your life a lot happier. I'm still a good missionary. The church is true! I love you guys!! Go read 1 Nephi chapter 8. It's really rockin' my world this week.
Love you!

a few pictures

A bunch of us during transfers. There were so many Irmas all together at that train station switching companions. It was a little crazy and a lot distracting because we all wanted to talk and catch up with each other.

 My new comp hit her hump day! She's been on the mission nine months! So we made her a nice baby out of my snuggie and took lots of pictures. It was a good time.

  My new comp Irma Palmer and me.

  This is the chapel here in our new area.

This is us after entering said chapel for the first time and not knowing about the alarm. It was really stressful.


Sorry fam bam, not much to say this week so I sent some pictures. Things have mostly just been crazy trying to adjust to the new area. I loooooove my new comp. We are the same person. It's going to be a funny transfer haha. The ward members are super nice and were really welcoming and the elders in our ward are cool. Our district leader is a native speaker and his comp is one transfer younger than I am and from England. Cool stuff. Well yeah, sorry haha not a lot to say. It's been confusing a little but not that stressful actually and were just trying to get settled and we are having a lot of fun already and meeting really great people. We're really excited about the people we are starting to teach.

I love you guys a ton and I love being here on the mission! Stay happy and I keep praying for you! I love you guys!

hospitals, conferences, transfers & a new address

Oh my gracious!  This week has been insane. Legit, insane.
First, my back has not been doing well so, like I said last week, I've been talking to Irma Fluckiger a lot about it. The mission doctor called and told me he would set up a consult and some exams for me here to see what we could do to keep me working.  So on Tuesday, Irma Fluckiger called and said I needed to come into Lisbon to go to the hospital with her and make an appointment. The next day we went in and I was able to schedule a consult on Thursday.

The consult went ok, and the doctor told me I needed to have an MRI to see what was going on, to see if my back is getting worse, and to begin physical therapy.  We scheduled an MRI for Friday. As we were waiting for the train, my companion goes, "It's your six month mark today! What do you want to do?" I just kind of looked at her funny and said, "Get an MRI...?" because it was going to take pretty much all of the afternoon. So yeah, we are now really close with Irma Fluckiger who is hilarious. And I'm very familiar with the hosital CUF in downtown Lisbon. Good times.

But, the Lisbon trips don't end there! This past weekend was a special stake conference for the three stakes surrounding Lisbon. Elder Nelson, Elder Terxeira and Elder Rasband came to speak to the stakes here. On Saturday morning, their wives spoke at a Relief Society conference which was amazing. Seriously so, so wonderful.

Directly after that conference we had to leave to go to a mission conference! All the missionaries in Portugal got to come except the ones who were out on the islands. I go to see tons of people from the mtc and the first couple transfers. that conference was so incredible. Elder Rasband did a question answer session with us and it was so so amazing to feel the power of all us missinaries sitting in that one tiny, incredibly hot chapel together. The counsel given was so so great. The conferences felt like a breath of fresh air and helped put a lot of things back into perspective for me about how to approach the work.

This past week was really great. On Sunday there was the actual stake conference and Elder Rasband talked a ton about the temple! It was really cool and the people here are so excited to be getting a temple! They all have such strong testimonies of temple work! I love it! Everyone go to the temple as much as you can! In fact, this whole past transfer has been really great.

And, speaking of which, today is transfers! I'm being transferred! I can't even like process it right now. I have so many mixed emotions. I'm going to some place called Quinta de Conde. It's on the other side of the Tejo River or something? I'm not sure. It gets better though, I'm doing yet another white wash! My companion's name is Irma Palmer. She came in two transfers before me so, same as Irma Quebbeman. Three areas and three white washes!  Ha ha ha,  goodness gracious.

I've heard some cool stories about that area though, and about my companion, so it should be good. I'm so nervous about leaving here though. It's so true what everyone says that as soon as you love an area you have to leave. When we sat in sacrament meeting two weeks ago, after Dania gave her testimony, I just looked around and was overwhelmed with how much I love the people of this ward. Mom and Dad, I will definitely bring you here when you pick me up. After that feeling of love, I kind of felt like peace and just a hint of knowledge that I was going to have to leave.

When I heard about transfers, I was actually doing alright until I had to call a few members to tell them and they made me cry. I'm gonna miss them so much! This ward is amazing! I'm also really sad to leave Irma Quebbeman. She's also being transferred so there's been a lot of craziness and confusion, and packing. She and I are both kind of at peace with it, but it's going to be really hard being with a different companion. She and I are so close it's weird. We legit read each other's minds and know so much about how the other works. It's definitely going to be tough getting used to another companion and trying to have that same level of bond. I'm not sure it will happen as much as with her though, like other missionaries have commented on how it's a little weird and unusual how close we are. Overall, I'm not freaking out anymore though. It's what the Lord wants for me; so I'm gonna just go with it.

Last night we were at a baptism of some other missionaries in our district and my district leader said that he felt like he should tel me a few things. He gave some really good advice on deciding what kind of a missionary and person I'm going to be.  He told me to start working at it right now and on how to really accomplish my potential as a missionary. It was just a lot of stuff I really needed to hear, and I feel like today the Lord is telling me to put it into practice.

Everyone pray that my new companion and I will get along.  I hope that we will be able to figure out where the heck anything is! As soon as I have my new address, I'll let you guys know. I love you all so much. I'm so excited to be out here and to have lasted six months and to keep working toward a seventh. I'm excited for the new start and another opportunity to share my testimony with a companion, a ward, and new investigators. Don't forget that God loves you and that He wants to help and comfort you at every second. All you have to do is get on your knees and the peace will come. I love this gospel, and I love the mission and I love you guys!

Here is my new address fools!

Urbanizaçao Cova dos Vidros
Alameda Salguiera Maia Lote 82 R/C-C
2975-100 Quinta do Conde, Portugal

So anyway, I'm here in our new area! I'm just sending a quick email because my new companion Irma Palmer didn't get to do email yesterday. The area seems cool and its actually really great, we have a miracle already!

As you know, we are white washing so neither of us know the area at all or anything.  However, because so many places were having a white wash, like ten Irmas had to come meet at a train/bus/metro station in Lisbon and trade companions and keys and phones. One of those Irmas was Irma Brown! She was in the other companionship of the Mem Martins ward during my first transfer.  She and I are really close and she used to serve here in Quinta do Conde. Well, her new companion is having some health problems and is at the hospital for a few days.  So she had to come stay with us and now she is showing us around all over the place.  She is going to introduce us to people for the next few days! Hurrah! White washing is super stressful. So hallelujah.

Also, Irma Palmer, my new companion is from South Jordan, Utah.  She is super funny and we are basically a lot alike. I can already tell it's gonna be a great transfer. I was so nervous to leave Irma Quebbeman and Mem Martins but I already feel so happy and at peace about it.

I love you guys a ton.

Do me a huge favor and update my address.  Don't forget that this address is only for letters.

Packages go to:
Irma Erin Dean
Rua Jorge Barradas
Nº14C 1500-370
Lisbon, Portugal 

Thanks! Have a great week!

Six Months!!!

Yep,  that's right.  On Friday I have officially been on a mission for six months!
It's already going by so fast I can't even believe it. Well this past week was mais o menos. My back has been getting worse so I've had to talk to Irma Fluckiger and the mission doctor a bunch but we're taking care of it. The only thing was I had to spend a few days in the house. It was booooring. It made me miss having a laptop.  We couldn't do very much missionary work becuase we were stuck inside.  I did, however, get to go to Lisbon on Thursday to apply for my residency card! It was fun.  I got to spend the day with Irma Barlow and Irma Davis and some elders.  We had a really great time catching up.I'm gonna have to keep this weeks' letter a little short though because I don't have a ton of time.

I just wanna tell a story real quick. So, I don't know if any of you will remember but, in my first transfer I told about when we baptized this little girl named Dania. If you look on the blog it's under the post titled, "Not this past week but the one before"

Dania was baptized pretty quickly but she had already been attending church with the entire family for months.  She was so so sweet and wanted to be baptized but with the confusion of the pink-wash no one had followed up and we didn't realize what was going on. Well, we prayed during weekly planning about which of our investigators should be invited to be baptized.  I felt so strongly that we needed to ask about Dania. When we asked her to be baptized, she accepted and was baptized on a Wednesday so she could get the Holy Ghost that Sunday during church. We pushed for her to be baptized THAT WEEK because the next week she would be leaving to go live with her mom in France.

When we first asked the bishop about baptizing her that week, he and a lot of other people in the ward were not happy.  They said that we were just baptizing her right before she left so we could get the numbers and that we didn't actually care about her.  Because we were going to baptize her and then send her to live without any support in going to church.

We were so sad about the situation because for months we felt guilty, like maybe we had done something wrong in baptizing her.  We didn't know if her mom would let her go to church there in France. But, she wanted to be baptized so badly so we proceded.  For MONTHS it got brought up in ward council as an example of how we need to be better and not try to baptize kids without their parents too.  Or as examples of how baptisms were only numbers to us.

Well, yesterday at chruch, we noticed that she had come and was sitting in church with the family she used to live with! We were so excited and figured she must have come back to visit, or decided that she wanted to keep attending school here in Portugal. Well, yesterday was fast and testimony meeting. Amid all the adults getting up and talking, while I was writing something in my planner, I didn't see who was standing at the pulpit next. All of the sudden, I heard a little girl start talking.  I looked up to see who it was.

Dania stood up and bore her testimony.  The first thing she said was, "I know the Church is true". She said she loved the church and was so grateful for her baptism. She said that the past three months with her mom in France were really hard because her mom didn't want to come to church with her, and she missed going. She said that the longer she was with her mom, the worse she felt because she knew she should be at church.  She knew that she wanted to be with a family who kept the standards of the church. So, she decided to tell her mom she wanted to move back to Portugal so she could live with that family again.  She knew they would help her go to church and she felt happier when they all read scriptures together and prayed together. This girl is ten!

The bishop was crying. I was a mess. It was amazing. This ten year old girl decided she would rather live in a home that had the gospel than live with her own mother. I had some repenting to do for EVER doubting how hard we pushed her baptism. If she hadn't received the Holy Ghost and been able to feel the spirit, and notice when it was missing in her home, she might not have ever made the decision to come back and be active in the church.

I know the Lord used me as an instrument in his hands in that instance. I am so grteful that I was able to stay in this area long enough to see how this turned out. I am so grateful for prayer and revelation and this opportunity to help people, like precious ten year old Dania, be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. This Church is TRUE!

EVERYONE can know that it's true if they pray about it and realy ask God if it's right. I love this gospel and I love my Heavenly Father and I freaking love Dania!

And I love you guys too!


Irma Dean