1 year down, 6 months to go!!

This week I hit one year on the mission and i had to look at pictures from my previous life because i'm forgetting the faces of my friends and family. i'm not even kidding. its like, do they still exist? did they ever exist? its strange. I thought back to a year ago that day, and everything in betweeen is kind of a blur, but i have changed. i want to cry to think about how much i have changed, because its so good. That day I remember saying goodbye to you, my wonderful family, crying in the bathroom in the airport, meeting sister vomocil on the plane, getting cafe rio with lance and steph, running up on byu campus to say happy birthday to amanda monn, having the MTC lady put my tag on my shirt. meeting my MTC district and not knowing how much my life would change. and i wouldnt change a single minute of it.

We had divisions with the sister training leaders this week and president and sister flukiger came to the island for zone conference. its always fun having visitors on the island. I love our little zone and i love how much more personal our conferences with president are because of it.

There's this girl on the island named sasha. Shes a member of the church but right now shes inactive because she has to work on sundays. Shes from another country in europe and speaks like, 6 languages and is here as a tour guide. last pday she gave us a tour of the island. while it was an awesome experience, the whole time i felt like there was just an elephant in the car... the fact that she served a mission and is now inactive was always in the back of my head. And it just made me think of myself. Will that be me in 5 years? will i be breaking the comandments and not going to church?

Never.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER!!!!!

I know that Jesus Christ is my savior and example, and by following Him i will be happier than i could ever be doing anything else. I know the church is true!!! i know we have a living prophet!!! I know the book of mormon is true and the living gospel was resotred through joseph smith!!! These are things that i know, that are written on my heart and that i will never be able to deny. i am so grateful for president fluckiger and his mission to make us consecrated missionaries, that not only work hard and are faithful on the mission, but for the rest of their lives. Because thats the most important thing.

Do you guys also know these things? if you dont, i invite you to study and live the gospel until you do.

MOM I GOT THE PACKAGE AND I LOVED EVERY SINGLE PART OF IT. thank you so much, you have no idea.

I really dont have much more to say. my feet and legs hurt from walking up and down the hills of madeira, im always red because of the sun and heat, i love these people, i love speaking portugese with people and with the other sisters at home at night and i speak pretty well, to the point where sister cardoso was like, slow down, youre speaking portuguses so fast i cant even understand you. holler. my bed is like a rock so sometimes i dont sleep super well, but thats okay. we had fleas in our house and they bit everyone except me haha. I dont know. this is my life.

Will everyone who reads this send me pictures of us from before the mission? i literally am having troubles remembering life before the mish.

thats all for this week. i really do love you all.

paz, amor, casamento do templo,

sister briggs