Happy New Year

28 December 2010

Hello Friends and Family,

First off, I hope you had a Merry Christmas and I wish you happy New Year.  Just so everyone knows I respond to every card I get. So if you write me and don’t get a card back you can know one of two things, I did not get it or some Brazilian postal worker decided to try and read English (your card from me) sorry if you have not heard from me but know that I love you and I am grateful for all your support.  Really I am.  So the past few weeks have been amazing.  We have been working really hard and seeing a ton of blessings. One of these blessings is a man named Christian. He is super humble and super spiritual he bore his testimony at his baptism and told everyone how he knew the Book of Mormon was true from the very first time he read it with us. It was amazing.  Today the zone played soccer so we decided to wake up way early and go play (we live in the middle of nowhere) well I’m no Brazilian but I’m definitely learning this tricky game. It was a lot of fun.  Then as we were coming back we passed a store called "cacao show”, which is without a doubt , the best chocolate in the world. If you’re lucky I might bring you back some in two years.   So that was fun.  I’m trying to think of other stories to tell.  I’m extremely tired, we have just been going non stop this transfer, which is amazing.  We have so many lessons that most days we have to do divisions with members or we can’t teach everyone.   We are teaching a family the mom is named Lenina.  She is a single mom and has four boys, 11 to 17, and they are such a humble family and way fun to teach.  Because of Christmas and everything we didn’t have a lot of people at church this Sunday but I know in the next few weeks we will have a lot of people.  Speaking of Christmas I think I gained about 100 pounds in two days. The sisters here just feed you, and feed you, and don’t let you stop eating. If you try and stop they just pile it on your plate for you.  Christmas eve and Christmas day was rough but I guess I can’t complain because I love the food here and they really do their best for Christmas.  I’m so grateful for the chance to be here.  Our district decided to go caroling in the town square last week and it was a lot of fun. We had some people stop and listen but we usually had to chase people town and tell them we had a present for them (a pamphlet, DVD, or Book of Mormon) to get them to listen to us.  I’m so grateful for this time of the year when we get to remember the birth of Jesus Christ.  I know that he is the Savior and Redeemer of the word.  I am honored that I was considered one worthy to be a representative of Christ.  I love Him and am grateful for his eternal sacrifice, which makes it possible for us to be clean of our sins and, if we endure to the end, live with our families with our Heavenly Father for eternity. 

I love you all and hope you have a wonderful end of the year. 

Love,

Elder Mender