December 24, 2012

HELLO!!!

Feliz Véspera de Natal!!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!

It really is so great to be a missionary during Christmas. Probably because Sis. Matos is the most positive person ever so she is always making comments about how blessed we are and how good life is and her optimism is really contagious. I don't know if I spelled that right. I am really worried I am forgetting English. Lots of words are starting to blend and I can't remember what language they are. It will be interesting to talk to you TOMORROW!!! Wahoo!! I read that Emerson can't skype, too bad for him. I get to use audio AND video. I can't wait to see your bright smiling faces. It will be tomorrow 4:00 pm here that I will be online so be waiting. I don't know if the Internet connection is very good in the church so hopefully everything works out. If not I have the phone number you can call in the chapel and we can talk, but I will pray for skype to work because that is way better. Heavenly Father loves me so I am sure it will all work out great. 

Wow, good thing I am having a happy Christmas here because I sure am missing out on all those Christmas parties you wrote me about. The fun never ends, huh? Hockey games and the Great Dalmuti. What a dream. I really do miss card games. They aren't allowed in our mission and it is probably the thing that I miss the most. You're going to have quite the crowd for Christmas breakfast. I'll be missing the orange rolls and donuts and cookies and other delicious foods. You will be missing Em & Dan & me I am sure though. In the CTM when Danny and I said goodbye he said that we'll all be having Christmas breakfast together again at our house in no time. So true, the time is flying by. I reached 5 months in the mission this week.

On my 5 month anniversary as a missionary I woke up to a little treat and note that Sis Matos made for me. She is so great. Seriously, I love her more everyday. She is always giving compliments and saying encouraging things and looking for the positive and never complains. Oh and she was sick one day this week, like really sick, I could see it in her face, but she didn't complain once. She just worked as usual and kept smiling. She is such a good example to me of how to be a better missionary. Oh I forgot to tell you, the trio is no more. Sis. Souza went to Natal to take the place of the missionary I told you about that was in the hospital.

Christmas time is funny here. We offered to sing a Christmas carol to a little old lady who answered the door yesterday, but she said that she wasn't willing to hear us sing. Sister Matos was hilarious when we walked away she started saying to me "Excuse me! We have beautiful voices. Who does she think she is rejecting our beautiful singing. This isn't even a big commitment, we just asked her to hear a Christmas carol not to get baptized." It was so funny. Today we are going to try to sing for more people, I hope they don't reject us. Hahaha. We also taught another crazy lady who we seriously didn't even know if she was sane enough to baptize. She has past transgressions with almost every commandment, but said she would change and live them all, but then when she was in the baptismal interview with the elder she wouldn't commit to not drink coffee. We already taught her about the word of wisdom and she committed to live it with us, but during the interview she just started trying to convince Elder Gonçalves that coffee was good for him and he should drink it more too. She is really a little bit off. She offered to play us a song on the guitar at the end of our lesson. We were way excited to see what she would play and when she started she just started strumming the strings randomly and mumbling some nonsense words. Like how a 5 year old would pretend to play. We weren't sure if she was joking at first, but she wasn't. Luckily I held my laughter in until we walked away. She won't be getting baptized, but at least we gave her the opportunity, right? Hahaha. Oh this week was full of funny moments. 

We had the ward Christmas party, it was a good time. We met a girl who is less active that lives with her aunt and they have a cake factory in the back of their house. They gave us free cake, it was delicious. I sent a picture of us in her cake factory. 

 

This is a picture of me & Sis. Matos with some gross Santa masks we tried on today. 

 And a picture of me with Clariza and her mom Marlene and my favorite Maria José (Mary Joseph) on the day of Clariza's baptism.

 

Seriously I love this picture because I love all 3 of these women SO MUCH! 

Hope all goes well tonight at Wasatch!! I'm sad I won't be there, but I will talk to you tomorrow!!! I am so excited!!! Love you all!! Say hello to everyone for me and that I love them and wish them a Merry Christmas!!!

Until tomorrow!!!
Feliz Natal!!
Sis. Laurel Udy