Happy 24th Irma Ray!!!!!!!!!

Here's the latest from our favorite birthday girl! That's right, today IS Irma Ray's 24th Birthday, so if you haven't already be SURE and send her some love via mail/package & prayer. Let her know your thinking of her! Enjoy!
- Ridiculouslygoodlooking

Editor Note (Aka: Dad): Remember it is Sarah's Birthday on January 30th, be sure and send her your cards, letters, love and wishes. Also, bad news, the mission President has reversed the rules and she can now only email parents. Sorry to everyone else, but back to the letters, she will not be able to email any of you.

"January 11, 2010

Well, this week was just another chapter in the adventures of Irmã Call and Irmã Ray. (By the way, I am taking nominations for the film we are making). So, we have been trying to discover a way in which we could become better missionaries. Unfortunately we have not been able to figure out what we were lacking. Thankfully however, we had some inspiration this week and have discovered the solution to become completely Preach My Gospel video worthy sister missionaries. So we discovered a large sack of left over Jody dresses in our apartment, which lead to a theme inspired District Meeting. I don´t know why we didn´t think of it before! Okay, sorry to anyone who actually wears Jody dresses in their mission, but here in Portugal it is not okay. Don´t worry, we changed our clothes again before leaving the chapel. Our favorite responses are included below

Wow, I think I just went back in time 40 years

Dorky Irmãs, really Dorky

Very strange looks from the Brazilians who didn´t know if we were joking or not

WHY?!?!?!

Basically we enjoyed it, and we had some good laughs. It was our way of spicing up a very rainy and long week. However, the bright side of the rain is that we saw a whole lot of Rainbows here, and that was cool.

Irmã Call and I have decided we are up for the most unified companionship in the world award. Due to the fact that we have so much fun and work so well together. Actually more due to the fact that we can´t seem to remember who is who anymore. Irmã Call had a day that she couldn´t seem to get the you and me with the right person. Shortly following that we were contacting a woman in the street and it went something like this:

Me “I am Irmã Call….wait no, she is Irmã Call, I am Irmã Ray”

I. Call: “ I didn´t even notice that was wrong!”

Yeah, we are crazy, but ya know, life is good. We actually had Claudia and her two kids in church this week and it was fantastic. Both the kids were so excited afterwards that they already made their mom ~promise to come every week. Filipa wanted to know what she has to do to come every week. They are a stellar family, well, the dad is crazy and Claudia needs a new job but other than that it is great.

Irmã Ray

January 18, 2010

Okay, so good news for the week:

Lidia was baptized this week! It was a crazy crazy day! We showed up at her house 45 minutes before and she said
"well, Pedro thinks it would be better next week so could we do it then?"

-us (inside) ARE YOU KIDDING....DO YOU REALIZE WHAT TIME IT IS!
-us (outloud)" everything is already ready...."
then she finally said well then, lets do it. However, then she told Pedro and he kept asking why, so we talked to him and said it was already ready and Lidia finally stood up for herself and said she was going, so we went!
It was actually a really sweet experience and a beautiful end to a very hectic day.

On other news we actually managed to mark Claudia and her children for baptism (thank you Andrew for the advice on teaching her). We don´t think they will be ready for their February date, but they are determined to work towards the goal and change their lives. It is probably the biggest change I have seen anyone make on my mission and it is just a fantastic testimony to the power of the gospel. Things have happened with that family that I never thought were possible, and it doesn´t have anything to do with us that is for sure. The Lord really is preparing people!

Well, that is about all the new and exciting news for the week. Love you all and keep up the good work.

Love Irma Ray"

The Best way to write Sarah is: (Ok this is a change, pay attention)

A) Since Sarah is on the Island, the best way to send anything (i.e. letters, packages, etc) through regular US mail is below. This method requires US $.98 postage for letters. (Better check this out, it should be the same as before)

Sister Sarah Ray

Rua de Ponte Nova

nº 12 5P

9000 Funchal

Madeira

Portugal

B) The alternate way is of course Dearelder that may eventually get to her.

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 $.98 Postage. You can set up an account and it will deduct the postage each time you write.

Happy New Years from Madeira!!!

So, we're gonna start this entry with a note from Sarah's dad! Pictures are posted at the bottom of this entry - enjoy!

- Ridiculouslygoodlooking

Editor Note: Yes it is that time of year again, it is Sarah's birthday. So, in keeping with tradition, we are groveling for all to send her a birthday card for her birthday on the 30th of January. The best address is to use the one below that goes straight to Madeira. Thanks, she will love it.

"December 28, 2009

Well, this week doesn´t have a whole lot of new news seeing as how I talked to you recently, but it sure was fun! We are a bit bummed that Christmas is over because it was a great way for us to be able to contact people. Everyone would talk about Christmas, even if we had to resort to singing in the hospital in order to get anyone who would listen to our caroling. Now we are back to having to find other ways to contact people, such as asking directions( that one is my favorite seeing as how we are able to get ourselves lost quite frequently). One of Irmã Calls methods is asking people what they do for work....this one was a little awkward this week as we contacted someone whose response was that she worked a vida de noite...or life of the night. However, it means that she is always home during the day so we can teach her. It was actually a really funny experience, but we actually had a really good lesson with her and her (yeah get this) Husband and kid. I don´t know if they know what she does for work, but she had no hesitation in telling us. So we have started praying for her to find a new job, and we are teaching her family now. She also asked us to start teaching her mom and her brother- go figure.

On other news, we got transfer calls and the dynamic duo is sticking together for another transfer on the Island! We were expecting that but it was still nice to know for sure. I am pretty sure the island might explode before the end because we have so much fun together, but we also do some real hard work. It really is a great way to be finishing up my mission- just hope my last companion is this great. Lidia continues to progress and we are counting down the days to her baptism on the 9th. She is stellar and it is really cold to see how much her kids are learning too. She has a two year old boy and he is the cutest thing when he prays now. It is funny because her husband will not listen to us, but he is getting the lessons anyway because the kids always go tell him what he is doing wrong after. Kinda awkward. but kinda funny.

Anyway, time is short as always. LOVE YOU and thank you for everything you do!

Irmã Ray

"January 4, 2010

HAPPY NEW YEARS 2010- Year of Miracles

Wow, I can hardly believe that a whole year has gone by, it seems like yesterday that I arrived in Portugal, and now I am doing New Years again. However, this year was definitely a step up! Madeira once again made it into the Guinness Book of World Records for the fireworks show on New Years Ever. Seeing as how it is world famous, President gave all of the Madeira missionaries permission to stay out at a members house and watch the show. Well, we were way up in the mountains so we were able to see a good portion of the island since they have fireworks from every point. I will attach some pictures...the complete opposite of Bryan´s New Years....we stayed up super late and have been super tired trying to catch up. Worth it though!

It was pretty funny and we joked about how we started the new year off right, outside of our apartment way over time, and then i got trapped outside of the elevator and Irmã Call was inside the elevator....basically New Years day was quite the adventure of mishaps, but we managed to survive. Okay so this email is just a tiny bit lame, but nothing cool happened this week, and I feel lame writing the same things over and over again. I do love you though, and missionary work is awesome. The church is true and the gospel is worth it.

Plus I am on an American keyboard right now, so it is taking forever because I keep messing things up.....wow, I´m weird now. Irmã Call has taken to pointing out the weird things that we do and how I am going to be so strange when I get home. Will you still love me???

LOVE YOU

Irmã Ray

PS - Fotos from the fireworks and our p-day trail today....it actually has been kinda cold, we are using sweaters....then we got caught in the rain without umbrellas...oops. However, I am still not covered in ice so I am counting my blessings."


The Best way to write Sarah is: (Ok this is a change, pay attention)

A) Since Sarah is on the Island, the best way to send anything (i.e. letters, packages, etc) through regular US mail is below. This method requires US $.98 postage for letters. (Better check this out, it should be the same as before)

Sister Sarah Ray

Rua de Ponte Nova

nº 12 5P

9000 Funchal

Madeira

Portugal

B) The alternate way is of course Dearelder that may eventually get to her.

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 $.98 Postage. You can set up an account and it will deduct the postage each time you write.