lame email this week, sorry!

Queridissima Familia,

(Mom, querer is used almost the same way in Portuguese, although I have never heard someone say anything like "quero-te" to mean "I love you".  Not sure though.  But I think that lady on the clip might be right.  The way querer is used in Spanish is really special.)

Wow, that story of the connection made to President Zackrison is INCREDIBLE.

Joe!  Guess what?  Some of the young women in the branch saw my family picture this week and they pointed at you and were like, "how old is this one?  He's CUTE!"  You have some Portuguese teenage girls crushing on you.  :)

Transfers!  Sister Wach is on a plane to Lisbon.  (I knew they'd send her to Lisbon!) I am at Casal Phippen's house.  :)  My new comp is Sister Austen.  She'll arrive tonight.  Also came into the MTC with me.  Don't know much about her yet.  I am excited to work with her though!

Nate, they are having you do a third transfer with E. Carratini?  Surprise!

I am going to try to start fitting in 15ish minutes of meditation each day.  I realized this week that I think I might be feeling some mild symptoms of depression.  Nothing terribly distracting, but I feel like I am able to observe my emotional health with enough presence to say that there is something a little bit off-kilter with my brain chemistry.  Realizing that actually cheered me up some.  It was like, "Oh!  That makes more sense about how I am feeling."  I feel really pretty peaceful though.  In the MTC I saw a Holland talk where he says, "Have every experience you can [as a missionary]".  Right now I am having the 'slightly-depressed-missionary-on-an-island' experience.  Hey, it's part of my life.

I really feel like Heavenly Father blessed me through this whole transfer with the ability to hold meadows of peace and tranquility inside myself, even when external conditions seemed a little adverse at times.

And now, it's on to the next adventure!  I really am baffled by how adventurous missions are.  Like, here we are, this army of thousands of white, boring Mormon boys and girls, all over the world, having big adventures.  It's the coolest thing ever.  

I gave a talk in church yesterday that went well.  This Branch is feeling more and more like home.  The members are good people.  I was remembering that day we went to church in Peru and randomly that Perry boy was there as a missionary, giving a talk in Spanish.  I was wondering if my Portuguese sounded like his Spanish did that day.

I am hoping to play my violin for long hours today at Casal Phippen's house.  We'll see.  :) Sister Austen arrives later tonight.  It's kinda rad to spend a day with two wonderful granparenty people.  We might go sightseeing.  I'm just thrilled to be with them.

Well, I need to sign off.  Remember that I love you.  God has really awesome children, everywhere.  His grace and goodness are manifest in the cloudy, broody skies of Sao Miguel; in the goofy smile of Ricardo Resendes, District President of the Azores; in the scrambled eggs that Sister Phippen cooked for breakfast.  This life is just exquisite.

You are exquisite.  Each one of you.

I love you.

Yours,

Annie