I love Braga!!!

I LOVE BRAGA! It´s the biggest area i´ve ever had.

IT´S HUGE! Braga is the 3rd largest city in Portugal, and we have half of it. It´s crazy!

But...

What happened this week?

Well, we had a baptism on Saturday! Her name is Catarina! She´s so cute! She´s 11 years old and her family´s aready members, and they wanted us to teach her. 

Sister Gutierrez got sick this week, and I was a little bit too, so we just stayed in and rested and ate salad :(

I studied a lot this week (because we were inside for 3 days!) And I studied a lot about Easter. My love for the Savior has grown so much this week. I read parts of the Savior´s last week in the gospels and I learned so much. Christ really loves us so much! He taught us so much and He gave us a perfect example, always. He took upon himself the sins of the world. EACH and EVERY one of us. He knows how we feel. Our pains, our embarrassments, our sins, everything imperfect about us.

His love is so pure and He´s always there with His arms wide open for us. And the way we can feel the love He has for us is by reading His word: The scriptures! I love Him so much and I know each one of us can grow our own relationship with Him. 

 

I hope everyone has a great Easter this Sunday!

Watch this video! It´s only a minute, but it´s SO GOOD. Because He lives, we can be cleansed from everything we´ve ever done!

Love you all!

Boa Semana!

Love,

Sister Mancuso

 

 

The cold never bothered me anyway.....

Hello from Braga!

This week was pretty awesome!

My new comp is Sister Gutierrez! She´s THE BEST. As an example,

Imagine 2 of me in a companionship. It´s the best. We have had so much fun (while still working hard!) this week!

Braga is awesome! But, as with every area, it comes with its own challenges. But i´m so excited to see what this transfer will bring! Braga is HUGE, and one of the oldest cities in Portugal! It´s really cool!. We can see two really old cathedrals from our apartment!

Funny story, we got locked out of our apartment on Saturday! We were trying to break in for 3 hours, then gave up and called a member, and he opened it for us... It was a really long day.

What else? Oh something bit my lip on friday, so it was HUGE for a few hours!

It was terrible...

But we have been really looking for investigators this week. I know there are people that are just waiting to hear the message!

Me and Sister G are working on really being consecrated and giving our all- EVERY SINGLE OUNCE OF US TO THE WORK! It´s gonna be really hard, but, hey, i´m already on a mission for 10 more months, so what do I have to lose?

Also, WE HAD A BAPTISM THIS WEEK! João Vermelho got baptized! He´s so elect and he really wants to take this step and he knows this is the true chuch! It was so amazing! Future leader!

I love all of you and thank you so much for your letters! I promise I read them and get really happy even if I can´t respond! But keep writing! I love you all!!

 

 

Bye, Bye Coimbra, HELLO BRAGA!

Coimbra tem mais encanto na hora de despedida...

(Coimbra has more enchantment in the hour of goodbyes)

   IT´S SO TRUE! Those are the words from a Portuguese fado. Coimbra has a special place in my heart that I don´t think any other place will have. If I ever decide to live in any place in Portugal after my mission, it will be in Coimbra. Com certeza.

   I´M LIVING IN BRAGA NOW! AAAAHHHH!!! sister Baird (one of my comps) was always talking about Braga and I always wanted to serve there and then HERE I AM! I´m so excited! It´s the most north sister Area in Portugal! So now I can say that i´ve been in the most south AND in the most north! Braga is also a really old city with lots of history!

   Last P-day we went to the University of Coimbra again, but this time we paid to go inside (I am so happy I decided to bring my student ID to Portugal because I still get student Discounts!) and I went inside THE OLDEST LIBRARY IN THE WORLD!!!!!  It´s called the Joanine Library and it is AMAZING. I felt like Belle inside the beast´s library.

   Because that´s actually what it looks like. Look up pictures, it´s amazing.

   Then we walked into this giant hall that ACTUALLY looks like the great hall at Hogwarts and it. was. glorious. There´s tons of pictures of the ings of the first dynasty of Portugal and it was so cool! Then we walked into the king´s bedchamber and I randomly asked a question to this guy who was working there (he was a student) and he gave us a lot of cool history facts, and since he was really nice I decided to give him one our cards with Christ and our number on it. Apparently he didn´t get the fact that we were MISSIONARIES and he started texting us wanting to meet up. But we decided to use it as an opportunity to share the gospel with him!

   Oh, I also placed my name in the goblet of fire.

   I hope I don´t get picked...

   This week was so good, but so many new things! Mariana randomly moved to the elder´s area and I didn´t get to say goodbye to her before I left! So this week we also got the news that they are adding another comanionship of elders in our ward and because of that, we have to switch houses withthe elders, so all weekend we were cleaning and packing when we weren´t working... Sigh. Me and Sister McCall were really starting to grow our friendship and it was so much fun and we were totally sure that we would just keep on being comps. We also found out they were deciding to add a comanionship of sisters in the other ward in Coimbra, so we would have a 4 sister house. Sister McCall was sure that we would just split up and train and it would be amazing! but it was the will of the Lord to go to Braga. And I´m so excited!

   The weeks are also coming up before Easter! I am using this time to study more about the Savior. i ammaking a goal to read Jesus The Christ and it´s SO GOOD. I am growing my love for the Savior so much, especially by reading the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon is LITERALLY the Word of God. It´s impossible for that book to not be true, mainly because of the experiences I´ve had and the way those words have touched my heart. The Book of Mormon testifies of Jesus Christ and His ministry. I have been strengthened by this book. I know that the Book of Mormon and the Bible testify of each other and that they, together, give us a complete truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I invite all of you who have not read the Book Of Mormon yet to please read it! It has brought me so much happiness!

   I love all of you! Keep me updated!

Love,

Sister Mancuso

Ola from a 8 month old missionary!!

Hello! Tudo bem?

   This week was AMAZING! Literally, blessings were just raining down on us like you would not believe! Today marks my 8 month anniversary on the mission! It took a bit, but I love this work so much! I know for certain that what i´m doing in portugal is the Lord´s work, and He is hastening it, that is why i´m so happy to be able to be a part of it!

   The most amazing miracle this week was Wasina´s baptism! He is amazing, and he is willing to really follow Christ and do His will in this life! Every lesson we had with him was so spiritual, and after the baptism he was so happy and smiling and we could just tell that he felt the spirit testify the truth of these things to him. I know that baptism really is just the beginning. I know that when we make these covenants with the Lord, He will bless us in ways that we never even imagined. And the lord really is willing to help us get there. He loves us all individually and is ready to help us when we need it. All we have to do is ask. 

  Lots of people say that when you serve a mission, it has eternal consequences. And it´s true! Eternal consequences not just for your family, but also for the families (and future families) of the people you help come closer to Christ. Because that is my purpose, and i´m not perfect, but the Lord is, and this is His work. It truly is astounding how happy someone can be as an instrument in the hands of the Lord. And He really lets us know in tiny little things that this is His work and that He is happy with what we are doing!

  We had so many other miracles this week. Sister McCall got the flu all of a sudden, so we had to stay in for a while, but we totally made up for it when we went out to work, because it felt like the Lord was just dropping people into our path. It. was. a week of miracles. SO MANY MIRACLES!

   We also discovered so parts of our area we never explored before and it was very... hilly. We met lots of people and worked with them and they all said we could come back, so we will. We met this 90 year old woman who lives at the tippy top of a REALLY steep hill who has a ton of orange trees and told us we could pick some. 

   I love all of you and hope everything is going good! EMAIL ME PLEASEEEEE.

Love,

Sister Mancuso

Ola! Pessoal!

Tudo bem?

I have so many updates this week!

Well, let´s start.

  Last P-Day we visited this really pretty park with these REALLY old sculptures and I loved it. Parque de Santa Cruz. LOVED IT. Then that night, we were knocking doors and we found this catholic woman who, at first, didn´t want anything, but didn´t close her door. After talking a couple of minutes she started asking questions and the spirit really touched her heart because she was being more and more attentive and wanted to know more. She told us we can come back and she said she would pray to know if these things were true.

  On tuesday we went to visit this investigator we have, and we ended up talking to her roommate, Cristina, who is from China and doesn´t really know God, but says she wants to. She is so willing to learn and she wanted to pray with us and said she was going to pray and read and she felt really good about talking to us. The spirit was SO STRONG during that lesson! So now we´re meeting with her.

  On wednesday we had Zone Conference and a less-active member went out with us and it was so good because she´s a young woman and she kinda wants to serve a mission, so we´re helping her solidify that maybe!

  On thursday, we had DIVISIONS (aka day of miracles) and it was amazing! We met so many new people and it really brought enthusiasm back to the work and I LOVE MY MISSION SO MUCH!

  On saturday, we had a REALLY spiritual lesson with one of our investigators, Wassina, from Angola, and he´s going to be baptized this sunday! He is so awesome and the Lord really needs him on His side and he has so many questions and loves that we have the answers and you can totally tell how much this is helping him and it makes me love this gospel even more! We also had a lesson with Mariana and Nuno! They are having major problems so we went over and all we did at first was make bread. Just make bread. I kneaded the bread for half an hour and we talked and laughed and I think it helped them forget for awhile. We finished with the bread and shared a spiritual message with them and talked about fasting and how it really can help us with our problems in our lives. They both agreed to fast. It was a small miracle because Nuno was really reluctant at first, but after they felt the spirit, he decided to also fast with Mariana. It made me happy :)

  I just love this gospel SSSSOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!! I´m so grateful I´m able to have this truth in my life and i´m so happy i´m able to share it because there is a scripture in the bible that says "and by their fruits ye shall know them." The fruits of this gospel really are happiness and love, and it helps us grow closer to our Savior more and more!

  Hope everyone has a good week! Write me!

 

Tears, toilets and traveling

Hello Everyone!!!!!

   How is everyone´s week going? I miss everyone so much!!! Buuuut... Not too much because I don´t wanna get distracted... :)

   This week was crazy, but really good!!! Where should I start?

   Well, On tuesday was Carnaval in Portugal, which is actually celebrated kinda the opposite as it is in Brazil. Lots of people don´t work, so everyone just kinds stays home or will go to a party or something like that, SO our ward decided to have a Party! It´s so weird because Carnaval is in the middle of february, but you feel like it shoud be October because lots of kids are dressed up and everything, but... No, it´s february. We had a big churrasco (barbeque!!!!) and everyone was there and it was so cute to see the little kids dressed up! That took up most of our tuesday and it was so nice.

   On Friday we had INTERVIEWS WITH PRESIDENT! It took all day, so our proselyting time was cut WWAAYY short this week because of Carnaval, interviews, Sister McCall still having a headache, and stake conference. But more of that later.

   We had a training by the APs (assistants to the president) and the Zone Leaders and then me and Sister McCall were the last ones to be interviewed... But it went well! He asked me about things on my mission and how my family was and I told him that Sarah was getting ready to go on a mission! President Fluckiger (flu-key-gur) is so insightful and always helps me and I know that he really does preside over this mission and loves Portugal and the misisonaries so much! AND I got to talk to Sister Fluckiger as well! She really is the best and I just love how she served a mission before it was cool because that´s how awesome she is!

   THEN, the next day was Stake Conference, so we had to go to Viseu for 2 days. The first day was great. President and sister Fluckiger were there as well and they spoke, and Elder Moreira was there as well! He´s an area Seventy, and he reminds me so much of Papi. They´re both bald and they laugh the same way and they talk the same and they both have that passion and love for the gospel and man, he just reminds me so much of him. 

   Also, on saturday at conference, our phone fell in the toilet! It was great (saracsm) and I was so happy. So we had to fish it out and put it in rice when we got home... My life. Is. So. Awkward sometimes...

   I missed Papi a little after that. But tudo bem, because I got to see the whole stake of Coimbra!

   On Sunday morning, We had to catch a bus at 7:30 that left from the Church, and we accidentally woke up late so we had to DASH to the Church. On the way there, a bus stopped in the middle of the road, and bishop walked out and said, "wanna hop in?" and we walked in and I felt a little like a princess walking down a runway or something because the bus stopped especially for us! 

   We tried to get Mariana to come to conference on Sunday because we both felt that it would help a lot with her receiving an answer. We had a lesson with her this week and it was exactly what she needed because she´s been having a rough time, and we both knew that the Lord was guiding our footsteps once more. THIS TRULY IS THE LORD´S WORK!!!!!! But Mariana ended up not going. We were both really sad. But we won´t give up!

   Every time I go to Stake Conference, I get so hyped up and excited about the gospel and missionary work and I just LOVE THIS WORK SO MUCH!

   While we were traveling to Viseu (an hour and 15 minutes) we saw some GREAT scenery and I just love Portugal so much! Giant boulders and hills and mountains and little villages on top of isolated regions and the Mondego river that starts in the Serra da Estrella. FUN FACT: The serra de Estrella has a sad legend attached to it:

   There was Once Upon A Time a princess named Estrella who was betrothed to a prince named Mondiego. Mondiego had to go to war and as you can guess, he died. She cried so much that her tears formed the Mondiego river and now the river starts in that mountain range. Sad, right? 

   OTHER FUN FACT: There are two types of Fado in Portugal: Lisboa and Coimbra! Because that´s just how boss Coimbra is. 

   Well, that´s all for this week! I hope everythign is going good with you all!

   THE CHURCH IS TRUE AND GOD LOVES EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU!!!!!!

Love,

Sister Mancuso

#Sister4life

Hello Everyone!

   How was your Valentine´s Week? Mine was filled with lessons and contacting people on the street! Hence, the name of my letter this week: #Sister4Lyfe. Portugal celebrates it, but not as much as back home. So yeah!

   This week was awesome! I truly truly love my mission so much! And it´s mainly because of weeks like these! 

   Well, let´s start with Monday. IT WAS AMAZING. It was definitely one of those P-Days where you totally remember you live in Europe, because in the day-to-day missionary life, you forget sometimes and speaking only Portuguese becomes normal. We visited all of the historic sites Coimbra has to offer. We started out at the botanical gardens. Me and Sister McCall both agreed we felt like any moment we would transport into 1776 or something.

   We also visited the University of Coimbra (AKA Harry Potter University) and were totally in awe the WHOLE TIME.

   FUN FACT: University of Coimbra is the 2nd oldest University in THE WORLD. It was founded in 1290. 1290!!!!! How awesome is that!?!?!?!? We walked into the Library, saw students studying, and it reminded me of my freshman year of college... Sigh...

   We also decided to just discover the Old City of Coimbra. We went past little cafes and Sister McCall´s a believer in Carpe Diem while we´re in Europe, so we decided to go to 3 different cafes and eat pastries! It really was awesome... :)

   The rest of the week went just as great! We were able to have lessons with Mariana and Nuno again this week! They really are amazing and we´ve been talking to them about marriage and asked them to pray about it, so we´ll see how that goes this week.

   We met this woman who´s a friend of a member, and we´ve been having the most spiritual lessons with her! She´s this little old lady whose husband passed away a few years ago. Me and Sister McCall both feel so strongly that we met her for a reason and when we had a lesson with her this week, we both, without saying anything could feel the presence of her husband and her parents in that room with us. It was so spiritual and a testimony to me that The plan of Salvation that the Lord has for us is indeed real! There are people who have passed on who are waiting for their loved ones here to accept the message! I know that that is true. We felt so strongly the love that Maria Odilia´s family has for her when we were teaching her in her house! The Lord really has a plan for everyone, we just have to humble ask in prayer what His will for us is. 

   We were also just randomly knocking doors one day, when we met this ELECT African woman who immediately let us in and start teaching her! It was so great! We could really feel the miracle that the Lord really guided our footsteps and really, He´s been doing that all week!

   We also had a lesson with this man who is so open and receptive and he has so many questions and after our lessons, he just smiled and said "I´m really happy with what I heard today. It answered all of my questions."

   So, that´s my week in a nutshell! I hope everyone is having a good week and please write me! Stay awesome!

   Love,

Sister Mancuso