Well that was fast.

They already kicked me out of the Azores! Whoa! I was only there two transfers! (12 weeks) I feel like I just got there and now i´m already back on the continent. I will be serving in São Domingos, which was actually Sister Austin´s first area so she like wrote a bunch of letters for me to give to members and investigators haha. The island was so beautiful and I´m sad to leave it but I like new things so this will be fun. I´m going to be serving with a Sister Lybbert(?) who is starting her third transfer. I´ll get to my new area later today but I just thought I´d hurry and write all yall in case I don´t get a chance to. I am very thankful for the experiences I had in Ponta Delgada, I really feel like I grew emotionally, spiritually and muscularly (lots and lots of hills.:)

I´ll try using my old pin number again mom I HOPE it works cuz i am currently in portugal´s biggest mall and ya know. that explains itself. Thank you for all your monetary donations over christmas! I will buy myself a new pair of jeans and a new flashdrive. I have already filled up two 16 gig ones with pictures and music. Unfortunatley my camera broke this week so i won´t have many pictures anymore. I have an awesome video camera from my awesome AUNT CASSITY that can take pictures but it´s meant to video and does a much better job at videos than pictures heh heh.  

well i hope you all had a good week MOM I LOVE YOU THANK YOU FOR SENDING ME PICTURES KEEP THEM COMING :)

ashton if you haven´t already sent my flashdrive back wait until next week so i can tell you my new address because it´s a mad house at the mission office... someone sent me a package they said and it never made it to me :´( I have received everything that came to our apartment addresses though. Speaking of what came to our apartment, Mom, I´m so sorry, I accidentally left the scissors you gave me in the envelope you sent them in after i used them and they were with all my letters that got put in my carry on and then of course the airport had a hissy fit and had to throw them away I´M SOOOOOOOO SORRY I know how special those were to you and i feel so dumb for having forgotten to put those in my checked bag...

I love being on my mission more and more every day. It was SO hard at the beginning but it is true that you get used to it and enjoy it more and more each day and it´s less and less hard to leave the house every morning haha cuz you look forward to the crazy and/or awesome people you will meet and get to share the wonderful message of Jesus Christ with.

I got to bear my testimony to our investigators that I left last night over the phone. I KNOW without a DOUBT that ALL this is true. It all makes sense even when it doesn´t. You just trust God that that´s the way it is (like why are we baptized at all? weird. but that´s the way He wants us to show our devotion to HIM and we get used to it and like it hah) and you grow in the process.

Well you´re all totally gorgeous. or handsome. either one.

Sister Shumway

whale.

I was in a good mood until I read from my previous companion´s email that the awesome miracle family that were baptized went back to their old church and now aren´t so thrilled to come back to the true church. poop. Sorry. now I´m not in such a mood to write anything. 

Mom just so you know i´m back and healthy again. Every once in a while usually at night my face will get all warm and feel like i have a fever but I don´t feel anything besides super tired (which is normal) so I don´t know what´s going on with mah face. But I have energy to work now. I just need to be more exactly obedient in the mornings again and actually exercise. Our house is chilly in the morning and it´s hard to really wake up and work out besides just "stretching out"  under the warm covers but that´s not really exercise. 

Ashton said he got my flashdrive! I put almost all the pictures i´ve taken so far on there so have fun flipping through those. 

WHAT Abby! You´ve been back for what, two weeks and you´re already engaged!? haha. I got your letter!! Thank you sooo much! Send me your email so we can talk mission comparing. I will send you a letter too :)

Here´s my letter to the president. 

Esta semana nos estávamos  a andar para um outro parte da nossa área quando nos sentimos que devemos descer uma rua um pouco desconhecida por nós mas sabíamos para aonde acabou a rua. Nós dois estávamos a precisar de usar a casa de banho mas decidimos a seguir o sentimento. Nós falamos com cada pessoa e batemos algumas portas mas ninguém estava interessado. Decidimos orar e pedir que o Senhor nos guiássemos até as pessoas que estão preparadas para ouvir nossa mensagem. Estava de noite e a chover um pouquinho. Enquanto seguimos a rua, nos sentimos que devemos virar para a esquerda e entrar numa outra rua que nunca tínhamos entrado. Fomos. Começou a chover um pouco mais. Depois de bater algumas portas, (já foi muita escura mas a rua tinha luzes) saímos da rua para uma rua que nos conhecíamos. No outro lado da rua, um homem de fato e gravata com sua filha de 10 anos estavam a ficar em pé debaixo de um edifício para não ficar molhados. Por instinto, nos começamos a falar com essas pessoas. O pai, Ernesto, e Maria, a filha, disseram que nos podíamos voltar próxima segunda-feira de noite. Já temos marcada para voltar hoje com Miriam e Paulo Marchado, membros firmes do ramo de Ponta Delgada. Mas foi um ótimo experiência sentindo o Espírito Santo nos guiar até este pai e filha que aceitaram um reencontro. 

and the google translator translation of translating translate. 

This week we were to walk in another part of our area when we felt that we should go down the street a bit unknown to us but we knew just where to the street ended . We were both in need to use the bathroom but decided to follow the feeling. We spoke with each person and knocked some doors but no one was interested . We decided to pray and ask the Lord to guide us to people who are prepared to listen to our message . It was night and raining a little. While we follow the street , we feel that we must turn to the left and enter another street that had never entered . Went. It started to rain a little more . After knocking some doors ( already much dark but the street lights had ) left the street to a street that knew each other . Across the street, a man in suit and tie with his 10 year old daughter were standing under a building to not get wet . It started raining a LOT. Instinctively , we started talking to these people . The father , Ernesto , and Mary , the daughter , told us we could come back next Monday night. We have scheduled to return today with Miriam and Paul Marchado , strong members of the branch of Ponta Delgada . But it was a great experience feeling the Holy Spirit guide us to this father and daughter agreed to a reunion .

Love you all. sorry for the stinky letter. 

Sister Shumway.