Positives from the Day:
Sun in the near future
Beatriz showed us where to find peanut butter!
 my backpack is stocked with literature already
 



Day 12: I woke up this morning with the determination to make this day a good one; rain or shine. We all had service arrangements this morning so we all four set out to the meeting place in Marques de Pombal where we would go our separate ways in the ministry. The pitter patter of rain haunted me as I struggled to get out of bed, but I decided against looking out the window to check for fear that what I saw might discourage me from my zealous ambitions to preach in the streets. As we headed out the door, the rain greeted us softly- which was a welcome relief after yesterday's storm (which we later found out was an actual storm named Stephanie that had blown through Lisbon with a vengeance).
Hiding from the rain with the rest of the city, Tenesha and I decided to do informal witnessing underground in the metro station. We walked the tunnels with our literature, stealthily eavesdropping to decipher the origin of tongues that held conversations around us. Finally, I had found a phrase that caught my ear! All morning we spent in the metro- searching, listening, talking and preparing for the moment when an opportunity arose. In the afternoon, Makenzie and Beatriz had met us in the tunnels and we all headed back to our apartment to dry off and get lunch. Beatriz is known here as the "homeless pioneer" because she lives on the other side of the river and often stays in town all day, busy roaming the streets in service until it is time for meeting. So today, we took Beatriz in and sheltered her from the remainder of the storm that inhabited the world outside. We all enjoyed her company very much. As we sat around the table, Beatriz gave us pointers on how to survive the weather and being on the streets for 90% of our service days. So many things we didn't have! Thankfully, we had Beatriz there to take us out on the town and get us set up for pioneer life; Lisbon edition.
With all our conversation today, I have come up with a new resolution- each night I am going to end the night reflecting on all the positive things that have happened throughout my day. Thinking about it, besides the rain and missing people who are very dear to my heart, absolutely everything about this trip has been positive and faith strengthening- so why should I let the few hiccups overshadow what wonderful blessings we have received?
Today's Positives:
Didn't let the rain stop us from going out and being happy to be out in the search work
Found someone from Germany in the Metro who accepted the magazines and let me share a scripture
Got to hang out with some of the best girls in the world all day
Got a cool backpack and bible cover to get all organized and ready for service, Portuguese style
Feeling all excited for the campaign work in August that got announced tonight
Went to meeting until ten at night and felt nothing but refreshed afterward
And now I sit in a warm and safe bed, sipping warm milk with honey and cinnamon, reflecting on all these positive things and feeling content in my heart. I have been receiving so much encouragement from my friends and family back home and knowing that prayers and support are with us makes each day worth every struggle we may face. Although I miss my loved ones very much and sometimes struggle with the distance between us, I know that Jehovah is blessing every effort I am making to stay strong and focus on growing closer to Him. This is Today's most positive point- the feeling in my heart that comes from this beautiful realization that I am leaving myself and all my worries in Jehovah's loving hands.
Another positive for day 12 is that I get to go out in service again tomorrow! Day thirteen is going to be a good one!