Sister McEldowney in Santos: Living and Loving the Maine Life

Hey all, so, Maine is beautiful and I love it!

Being a missionary is great and I can't believe I'm a week off from hitting my two-month mark! Exciting stuff! So, here's my weekly break down.

Monday:

We had a district P-Day and basically played card games and had a failed attempt at Are You Smarter than A 5th Grader. Email time was fantastic too! SISTER ASTON WAS ONLINE! Talk about a tender mercy of the Lord! I needed that so badly and getting to chat with her was the best! We were, are, and always will be the #dynamicduo. Other than that, P-Day was just getting stuff done.

After P-Day we went to a member's home for dinner and FHE. The Peck family is awesome and I love them! They're so sweet and truly hilarious! The ward out here is awesome!

Tuesday:

Very rarely do I get my full hour of language study, but today I did! Feliz dia! We also had an amazing lesson with one of our investigators! I'm stoked! He's the bomb and his baptism is set for a couple of weeks from now! Sister McEldowney is uma feliz campista (one happy camper)!

Wednesday:

We had district meeting which was cool. We also traveled to Manchester for the New Missionary/Trainer Meeting. Unfortunately, not a lot of work got done.

The ride to Manchester was great though! I got to see the people in my travel group from the MTC and we all had a nice reunion...after a week haha!

Thursday:

New Missionary/Trainer Meeting was so grand! It was way spiritual and I can't even believe how much I learned in one day! Alma 26 is now one of my favorite chapters in the Book of Mormon. It talks all about the Sons of Mosiah and their mission! As a missionary, I can relate. As a third party, it puts a new perspective on how missionaries feel. I highly recommend that everyone read it. After you read it, ponder its message and pray about it. I know the Book of Mormon is true and I know, without a doubt, that if you have a sincere desire to know of its truthfulness and message, you will receive the same confirmation I did just over 7 years ago.

Friday:

All I have to say is that I ate deer heart...from a deer that someone hit with their car. That's right, I ate roadkill. Welcome to central Maine!

Saturday:

We heart-attacked our investigator! We love him and it was so fun! Missionary work is the best!

I also found an elder at the Saturday evening session of Stake Conference that speaks Portuguese! He was a visa waiter, but rejected his visa and stayed here. Either way, we spoke in Portuguese e meu coracao era mutio feliz!

A miracle in itself was going to that session! Finding a member-ride was nearly impossible, but our ward is awesome and we got to go!

Sunday:

Stake conference round two was awesome! I love those spiritual meetings where you just write everything, but it still isn't enough! Love love love! Elder Golder and Elder Titera, of the Seventy, were the main speakers and their messages were all about families and how to ensure that your family is staying on the path that Christ set for us. I've been thinking a lot about families and it was really cool to have another conference focused on that. It's actually been a really popular topic lately and I love it!

Well, that pretty much covers it!

I just want to end with my testimony. I know that Heavenly Father lives. I know that He loves us so He sent His only Begotten son, Jesus Christ, down to earth to atone for our sins. Jesus Christ is the only way we can get back to live with our Heavenly Father. The Atonement is the ultimate sacrifice and I am so grateful for it. The gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing! The Book of Mormon is true and I know that it contains the fullness of the gospel.

I love you all so much!

Amo Sempre,

Sister McEldowney

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From the keeper of this blog -

RE: Monday - P-day

P-day is preparation day. Full-time missionaries work 6 days a week typically from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. One day a week is assigned for them to do their grocery shopping and laundry, clean their apartments, write to their families, participate in recreational activities, etc. Typically (there are exceptions depending on customs and issues where you serve) P-day starts at 6:30 and ends at dinnertime, usually 6:00 p.m., when missionaries are expected to "get back to work."

RE: Saturday - Heart Attack

Heart-attacking has nothing to do with eating a road-kill deer's heart! :) Simply put it's when you write messages on paper hearts and stick them to their house/door/in their yard. I actually found a blog that describes how to do this.

How to give a friend a heart attack...

RE: Saturday/Sunday: Stake Conference

On a typical Sunday, members of the church meet together in their ward or branch (a group too small to meet ward qualifications) congregations. Every 6 months all the wards/branches that comprise a stake meet as one body for Stake Conference where they are addressed by local leadership and, sometimes, members of the Seventy or Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

RE: Sunday - testimony

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refer often to their testimony. Like in a court room testimony, a member's testimony is what we know based on our experience. I found a link that provides a great synopsis of what a testimony is to us.

What is a testimony?

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