Mission Christmas Party

Dear Azalea Mommy and Family, Friends, etc.....

Life on the mission is good, just got back from a huge Christmas conference with the whole mission (around 80 to a hundred missionaries I think) where we had a good time eating McDonalds (yesss!!! so good) slurping milk shakes, playing soccer (1st time with Brazilians, good time) a little basketball, a little time at a gaming area (not really that great, pretty bad actually) and Madagascar II, (also pretty bad) but it was good to see friends from the MTC again. President Silva also spoke a bit about temples and the significance found within them now and in the days of the Old Testament, when I get the time I think it would be really cool to study the Old Testament symbolism end of things. Met another elder who went to BYU-I and lived just two doors down from me at Viking, though at diff. semesters, small world eh? Not a whole lot to report other then that this week, we had a Monday and a bit of Tuesday to work, and tracted into a family, Francisco his wife and I believe it was four kids, he was drunk at the time but seemed to have a sincere desire to change, and his family was open to the message, we'll be heading back there today so we'll have to see how that goes. Also have another family with a similar problem, drinking father, but he honestly seems like he wants to change as well, and has def. been prepared for the message, allot of people drop the church after the 1st or second time we meet with them after they hear some sort of crazy story from a neighbor, that we worship Satan or the like, and so we make a point of telling them that Satan will try to work against them in their decision to follow Christ’s church, the same way people persecuted Christ and His apostles when they were here, and while many seem to set that aside, as we talked with Hamilton this past time he told us that Satan had already started working against them by the words of others, but he recognized it, and is still coming along strong. That’s the amazing thing about it, people accept a message from two strange nineteen -20 year old guys, half of which are from another country and speak with funny accents, and set aside family traditions, and the words of friends and neighbors to follow. They give up things they've done all their life (coffee is huge here) and in this case are willing to go through the hassle the state puts people through to get legally married, because they feel and come to know it is of the Lord.
Also on the big side of success we have a web of sorts forming through novo Itapetinga which is sweet, this past Sunday when we passed by to bring people to church, almost all the people wed invited from the neighborhood that week and then one or two were ready and waiting in the street. (one family which we passed by planning to grab them on our way back apparently had been watching out the window and so when we walked by ran out and asked if we'd forgotten about them, twas an amazing feeling that morning having them all there and ready. This included Clemer btw and his inactive brother. There are some really cool things happening over there.

Jacob