Merry, Happy, Holly Jolly Christmas‏

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Hello family!

Wow! Christmas is almost here! Funny how Summer said that it doesn't feel like Christmas. To me, it doesn't feel like any Christmas I have ever experienced. But, it has been a good season.

This past week was a little rough. We have been trying to clean out our investigators because a lot of them are getting lazy on us, but we are working to find new ones that will really progress. We are focusing on a family named Familia Pico Junior. They are adorable. They are from Moçambique. There are the parents and five children. The parents and three of the children were already baptized five years ago, but they are all inactive. We have been trying to have lessons with them because one of the daughters is 10 now and can be baptized. They have kids in all of the organizations and it would be great if they came back to church, but the parents have to work on Sundays to try to support the family because their house burned down last year or a couple of years ago. So, they are a work in progress, but the kids have a lot of desire to come back to church and two of them came to church yesterday, so it was great.

News about transfers: I am staying with Irmã de Almeida for one more transfer :) We are happy. We will get to spend Christmas together and the New Year. It will be great! We are planning on going to a couple of members’ houses on Christmas Eve to eat (apparently it is more special to spend Christmas Eve together here than Christmas Day) and on Christmas Day we will cook Bacalhau (codfish) with potatoes and vegetables. It is a real Portuguese treat. I am excited. I already got your package. It is sitting in our front room waiting to be opened later this week.
News about the phone call: So, since we don't have access to a land line that is inside (where the warmth is) I am sorry but you are going to have to call our cell phone. But, the good news is that these cell phones are better (they are new), so I think it should be okay. The best time to call would be 3:00 pm on Christmas day (that is when Irmã de Almeida will call her family, so we can be efficient with our time). That is 3 pm my time, so I think that would be 10 am your time. But I am just guessing. I think there is a five hour difference, right?

Anyway, beyond that, thank you for everything. Thank you for the package and the letters from people that have been sent. I have recently been receiving letters from Elder Stephen Betts, which made me so happy to find out that he was serving a mission. Yay! The last two missionaries our age. He must be such a great missionary.

To answer Poppy's question, yes, we do go caroling a lot. Every day. Irmã de Almeida and I go out all of the time and sing. But yesterday, as a ward, we got together and went to sing to less actives and it was so amazing! There was such a wonderful spirit there. We had been practicing for the month of December. Our recent converts went and it was so fun to see them interacting with members and less actives. I am learning to really love the people here. It was really cute because since I didn't know if I was going to leave or not, I told our recent converts that maybe I would be leaving before Christmas. Ruben (the 15 year old boy who doesn't show emotion like most boys) said that when I said that I might be leaving he went home that day and said a prayer so that I could stay. So cute. Prayers do get answered.

Other news: Irmã Morrison is getting transferred from the Açores into my zone! I am so excited! We will get to see each other lots during this next transfer! She is the best. I am excited to see her. Oh, we also have a Christmas Conference with all of the missionaries tomorrow, which will be the best because it will be a conference of all of the missionaries in the mission (except for the people in the Açores), but they will have their own conference next week.

Anyway, lots of spontaneity with this letter. I love Christmas, I love you all, and I love Jesus Christ who made all of this possible. I am glad to be able to remember him in the best way this year. It will be the best yet.

Love you all to infinity and beyond and I wish you peace, love, and joy and many miracles this Christmas,

Love,

Irmã Pérez