Happy Holidays Família!

This week feels like it was really long...last Monday we dropped off Irmã White and I began speaking only Portugués. It seems like forever ago! But this week was really good.
On Wednesday we had a mission conferencia de Natal, with all the missionaries except those in the Açores. It was really neat to get to see all the missionaries and feel the power of our combined forces! The Assistants gave a really good training about ´tendes bon animo´(be of good cheer)- it is amazing how many times the Lord tells us that and gives us comfort! No matter what difficulties we may be having, we always have a reason to be of good cheer and to rejoice, because Christ conquered all.
On Christmas Eve, we were walking to an investigators apartment and got slightly off course (it happens...com frequencia). BUT, behind a dumpster one of my companions spotted a big branch from a pine tree lying on the ground. She picked it up and joked about how we don´t have an arvore de Natal. She joked, but I really wanted a Christmas tree!! So, we carried it with us to the rest of our apointments, leaving it in the stairways of apartment buildings. At the end of the night we had a dinner with a member and recent-convert, and we got a ride home. This meant that we had to fit our tree into the car! It was an adventure, but we ended up with a real (well, semi-real, since it was already dead) Christmas tree! Little blessings...
Christmas morning, we opened up the one present that we had from a mysterious Pai Natal. We were surprised to find presents for each one of us! I got a pair of pajamas and a wooden display of the Plan of Salvation in Portugués- optimo! I was reallu surprised and happy for little blessings like that. And we have no idea who is it! It must be a sister in the mission, but it really is a mystery who is Pai Natal.
On Christmas we had lunch with a less active family that is really awesome. I went to their house one of my first days here. It was really interesting (and a relief!) to be able to tell a difference in what I understood there. They had a keyboard, but none of them know how to play it. So I was able to play a couple hymns and Christmas songs, and it was really neat. I am grateful for the talent that I have to be able to share music with others!
On Saturday we had a baptism of a 13yr old girl- Catia. She and her mom have been investigating the church for a little while, but her mom is not married to the less-active member she lives with, so she cannot be baptized yet. During the mission conference on Wednesday, we felt like we should invite Catia to be baptized this week. We did, she said yes, and she was baptized on Saturday! It was really a miracle. Her mom plans to get married in January, so we should be able to baptize her after that.
Sunday night we visited some potential investigators and watched ´Joy to the World´with them. It was the first time I have seen it in years, if ever. It was so awesome! I was so glad for the reminder of the reason we have to rejoice every day. Because of the birth, life, atonement, death, and ressurrection of Jesus Christ, we know what we need to do to find joy and return to our Heavenly Father, and we have the capacity to do it with the help of Christ! In this we can rejoice every day :D
I am grateful for all of you and hope you had an excellant Christmas. Happy New Year, and may 2010 bring us all happiness and joy.