"The Portugal Letters..."

Here is the latest installment of "The Portugal Letters..." Haha! She is doing well, but you still should send some love. Her nine months mark is in two weeks! Here's her recent letter - enjoy!
- Ridiculouslygoodlooking

"June 29, 2009

Well,
The big news this week is that it was São João. Basically it is the party for John the Baptist and the people in Portugal take it very seriously. That is, if you can take seriously a night where everyone eats sardines and runs around hitting each other on the head with plastic mallets. Yeah, I´m not sure of the purpose of that, but no one is allowed to get mad if you get hit on that day. Weird huh..normally it would be very strange if random people just hit you on the head, but it is totally acceptable this week. Go figure. The other part of the tradition is to eat grilled sardines and all of the wine companies have a boat race of the carvalas on the river. They also have a huge fireworks display over the river at midnight. Unfortunately we didn´t get permission to stay out that late, so we just woke up to the fireworks, but the rest was kinda fun. I don´t think sardines are going to become my favorite food, but keeping with missionary tradition, we eat what is given us...so that included the sardines. (attached picture). We actually did have a good time.

We had a couple cool experiences with investigators too. We are teaching a mom and daughter (Libânia and Vitória) and we asked them to get baptized yesterdsay. Vitoria said yes, but mom has to let her, and mom has to quit smoking first. Libânia is really nervous to try because she has tried so many times and it has never worked. We taught her all about fasting though, and she is going to think about trying. She still hasn´t given permission for Vitória to get baptized but we are going over there tomorrow too, so we are praying hard. They are a way special family. We were teaching about how you could be sealed together in the temple and Vitoria was so funny. She wanted to know how it worked and so we were explaining that it was like spiritual glue, at which point she decided it wasn´t a good idea. She looked at her mom and said " but what happens if I want to go in one room and you want to go in the other...you are bigger than me I will have to go with you." We all got a good laugh out of that one, and know she knows she could still go places alone.

Well, the search for a map continues...but we have found one of those big city maps(like the ones they have in malls...in the big poster things) that we took pictures of, and use the camera sometimes. It kinda works.

Love you all and thank you for your support. Have a fantabulous day, the church is true.

Irmã Ray"

P.S. If anyone can get map of Gaia - I think someone should send her one... Haha!

The Best way to write Sarah is:

1) On the internet go to dearelder.com website.
2) There is a drop down box on the right hand side down just a couple inches. Enter her mission which is Portugal Porto and then click "write a letter" just below where you select the mission.
3) On the next screen enter your return address and Sister Sarah Ray in the address line, add your email in the email box below the envelope.
4) Write your letter in the text box and then hit the "send letter" box under the text box to send it on.

This site does require US $.94 Postage. You can set up an account and it will deduct the postage each time you write.

2) The alternate way for sending anything (i.e. letters, packages, etc) through regular US mail is below. This method requires US $.94 postage for letters.

Sister Sarah Ray
Portugal Porto Mission
Rua de Amalia Luazes
No.23 Sala 1
4200-052 Porto
PORTUGAL