Merry Christmas!

Mi hermosa familia,

We've been teaching an eternal investigator (his wife has been a member for 8 years) and I had the strong feeling last week that we were going to have 9 baptisms this month. We have one firm to be baptized this Thursday (S--he's 22 and is married to a member) and I talked to R (the eternal) after Sacrament and asked him when he was going to be baptized this week. He smiled and said he doesn't think it will be this week but next week, maybe. I saw it as a good sign with that smirk on his face. Sister Fernandez talked to him after church and he is firm for December 31! I'm really glad I talked to him right after sacrament meeting--the speakers from the stake were phenomenal; they talked about obedience and sharing the gospel and it was just perfect for so many of our investigators. I think we had only 10 investigators to church this week. Only 10. :)

We're still praying for the Ca family to be baptized this month!! They're going out of town on the 23rd and will be gone until Christmas. They're the family of 7 that we were hoping to baptize on Christmas Eve. The opposition is coming but we still have faith that they will be baptized. Sacrament, like I mentioned, was absolutely perfect, but gospel principles and Relief Society/Priesthood were very deep about the Millennium and exaltation. I kept thinking the whole time that Heavenly Father has a plan and that we can't lose faith--I love these topics; they're a little deep and confusing for investigators but I know everything will work out how it should.

We had our ward Christmas party on Friday and it was extremely fun. I played the piano for the program--different programs like the Young Women, Priesthood, a family kept giving me different songs to play at the last minute. I guess they think I'm one of "those" piano players. Well, it turned out fine and there was even a pinata at the end of the night filled with my favorite candy--Mexican candy with chile, of course! I crave that stuff like crazy nowadays. I even stole a little kid's mango gummy pop with chile. It made me smile because we've been having Christmas pinatas the past few years. :) Right? Yeah, I'm pretty sure. The party was very well attended and so beautiful. This ward is amazing. It's actually made up of two cities, Tracy and Manteca. The elders (1 companionship) cover Tracy and we cover Manteca. The leadership in this ward is crazy ridiculous. They support us so well and always have someone ready to go to lessons with us. Everyone loves the Ca family and all of our investigators. It really is just one big family. It's great. They expect and require a lot from us but Sister Fernandez is a champ and we get along and are making a lot of progress.

Stacy wants to know more intimate details about my life. Well, last week was REALLY hard. It was my hardest week on the mission. Sister Fernandez expects a lot and I'm getting frustrated about my Spanish because hers is so beautiful and she teaches and explains so well that all I could do was get frustrated because I didn't feel like I could contribute anything more. I've been able to open my mouth a lot more. Oh, part of her responsibility as coordinating sister is that she has to visit each of the Spanish companionships plus one English companionship in the mission during a transfer. So she leaves me at night and for a day and so I have to find 4 companions to go out with me while she's gone on exchanges with the other sisters. Last week she was gone twice (Monday day and Tuesday day and Thursday night and Friday day). I go out with English sisters and Spanish sisters so I have to rule the lesson and know what I'm saying and control the phone and our plans. It's stressful but I'm hanging in there.

I love you all! I have no time but I will talk to you next week. Drink hot cocoa and look at Christmas lights for me. 

Hermana Brinkerina

new nickname from the zone