Oi Familia!!!
So excited to hear about my brand new niece! So jealous you get to be with those cute kids mom. I miss my nieces and nephews so so much! It was so good to have the Masons see me off though. Rumor is that in the field we get a lot more time on computers now, but in the mtc we still only get 1/2 hour so if you could pass on to everyone to use Dearelder.com that is so much easier so I have time to read because it flys by!
Mom and Dad thank you so much for helping me to get out on a mission! I think it is the hardest thing I have ever done, but it's also the best! We teach a lesson in Portuguese on our 2nd full day here and it was really hard. So much to say but it's so hard when you don't know how to say any of it. So the first 2 lessons were just so frustrating and I had a hard time feeling like I could teach by the spirit because I just focused too much on trying to figure out how to say anything. My companion is still working on having the confidence to teach so I pretty much am the only one who speaks during the lessons which also makes it hard, but then when we gave our 3rd lesson yesterday it was SO good! after my 2nd lesson my companion and I were feeling pretty frustrated but that evening my District Leader reminded us of the importance of the lesson Pres. Hinckley shared to "Forget yourself and go to work." I realized that despite having been taught that lesson my whole life I was doing just the opposite! During my lessons I was just focusing on MY ability to speak and MY frustrations etc. So I decided that night that the next lesson would be 100% about helping my companion and not worrying about how good my Portuguese was but just trying to listen to the spirit. We went in much more optimistic. My comp still got a little scared and didn't say much, but I was able to have her help me with some words and say the prayer and afterwards I could tell she was much more willing to try and now she really is making such a strong effort to teach which was awesome and I could feel our companionship grow through that experience.
Teaching Antonio was so amazing too! This time I didn't think about the words they just came! I don't even really know what I said but my investigator was on the verge of tears as was my companion. I think the Lord was just waiting for me to humble myself enough to realize this wasn't about me or my teaching abilities. I've really grown in my testimony this week of the fact that Heavenly Father doesn't just expect us to be kind to everyone, we are supposed to LOVE everyone. 2 of my 3 roommates are already wanting to go home because it is really hard so it has given me a lot of opportunities to try to help them find their purpose here and learn to love them even when it's hard because we have quite opposite personalities, but I think Heavenly Father has given me an opportunity to be His servant even here in the MTC where I'm teaching members of the church by giving me the chance to help the people around me.
I have to go, but just a couple other things: My district is amazing! There are 8 elders and 4 sisters and I really feel like we are brothers and sisters because you spend so much time together and you cry together and laugh together and just become so close! Jeremy Shaw from our stake is in my district and it has been so fun to have someone from home there all the time. My Branch President is one of the most amazing men I have ever met and is SO inspiring! He kind of reminds me of Elder Holland. He really says things the way they are and is so straight forward that sometimes it catches us off guard but I've learned so much from him and he really gets me to think deeply about things and realize how much I need to improve! I have pictures but forgot to bring them so I'll try to get on just for a minute later and send a couple pictures! I cut off about 6 inches of my hair today so I don't look quite the same. Anyway I love you all a ton and the gospel is true and changes lives and I'm so grateful to be here!
Love, Sister Lewis
