26 Dec 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Mom)

[It was nice to hear your voice.  I have to admit that I, for whatever wacky reason, do not miss people that much when I do not see them.] People usually tend to forget people when they don't see them so that makes sense I guess. I don't really have an uncontrollable desire to be home either. I just don't miss it that much. Like you said, it will hit me when I go back home, but it's good for now. It is a lot easier to work when you aren't missing home. Some elders go crazy near the end of their missions. I'm more or less the same. I've gotten better in a few things, but I haven't changed much in other aspects.

[Brother Gerrard in his talk today likened Santa to Heavenly Father.  He said when he was small he remembered that he would go and sit on Santa's lap and tell him all that he wanted.  Santa would bring him what he had asked for and not disappoint.  He received more than he asked for most of the time. Tha is ho our Heavenly Father is.  We ask for things.  He gives us that and much more.  He does not disappoint.] I don't know who Bro. Gerrard is but I don't remember Santa giving me everything that I wanted. He often disappointed me ;) I don't remember when I stopped believing in Santa. I'm pretty sure you destroyed that whole belief so that we wouldn't ask for expensive things because we thought Santa could provide anything we wanted. Christmas here wasn't too special. It was a bore and a headache. People always say that they have awesome Christmas's on the mission, but mine are always terrible. Nobody goes to church, nobody wants to feed us, nobody come and opens the chapel so we can call our parents...maybe I'm just bitter and not loving enough :) Well New Year's will be more of the same and some more drunk people.

26 Dec 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Dad)

[We're going to play laser tag tomorrow with a couple of families in the ward. Hopefully we won't suffer any collateral damage and we'll have a lot of fun.] You can get eye surgery at the same time that you are shooting lasers at people. What collateral damage would come from laser tag? Just try not to pistol whip people.

Well Christmas wasn't much of anything. It was even worse because it was on Sunday. So people got extra special excuses to skip church, even the members. So that was a bummer because we had baptisms marked on New Years, but no investigators went to church so... This Christmas was a big headache. I'm convinced the mission teaches you to enjoy holidays and Sundays because you always end up working the most on those days. I think that being a member of the church is always accompanied with a lack of sleep. Mission, seminary, church in the morning, scout camp, kids, random meetings....That is why we have Sunday to sleep :) I don't have much to say. We had another week of the same old stuff. We taught a really great guy that is an elect, but he hasn't gone to church yet. He readily accepts all the invites to change and is keeping all the commandments. Hopefully, this weekend he'll go to church because New Years is drink-a-ton day and he doesn't drink.