¡feliz navidad y prospero año nuevo!

"We received a wonderful Christmas miracle this week from a referral. We hunted down the referral in a pueblo. His name is Elijorgson and he is from the Dominican Republic. He is catholic, but feels like something is missing. He met the missionaries in Santa Domingo and they invited him to be baptized, but he just didn´t do it at that time and feels like he should have. He got online and looked up the church and asked for the missionaries. It was such a good lesson and the Spirit was strong. As a missionary, you live for moments like that :-)  Our recent converts, Obion and Tony, brought their friend Caroline to church this week and she brought her son. She really liked it and is opening up to us more each time.

Narda is going to baptized this week, but her brother Walter still wants to wait. He talks about receiving the priesthood and knows all the answers, but for some reason is holding back. His father might have scared him a little bit about having to be 100% sure before he should be baptized. We shall see, but I´m sure he will realize he wants to be baptized soon.

Also, we have talked to our bishopric about having missionary-themed firesides once every 3 months and they love it. We want to invite Pte. and Hna Pace to come give the first one. I think it would be really good for the members here, especially because the 3^rd ward will be relatively new and it would be wonderful to have missionary work as a foundation from the beginning.

Obispo Ciriac and the ward leaders here are INCREDIBLE with missionary work. This Sunday, for the first hour of the block, they had everyone together and they read OUR ward mission plan and talked about how to implement it, including one Saturday morning each month for everyone to meet at the church and then go contacting with us. Their attitudes make ALL the difference."

What else to say...oh, not so good. This Sunday was our last Sunday on our 10am schedule. Because of the new ward, next week we start at...9am. I think I may cry. We will have to get up super early to even catch a metro/bus to get there on time. Woof. Oh well, we shoulder on. (Not so excited for grumpy bear Hna Oslund though. She´s such a morning person!)

Connor- I found a scripture for you, I wish I had found it over a year ago, but we can just pretend, right? Romans 15:24. I drew in a Spanish flag :-)

It was SO good to talk to and see everyone. Hna Oslund wants to know how her initial impression went over so please send commentaries.ahahahaha  She cracks me up. And no worries Mom, she gets the voice thing all the time. I would have given ya´ll a heads up, but I have been around her so long I didn´t remember.

I...always blank out when I sit down to write now. Darn.

Tonight the church building is open after 9pm and I think until like 7 or 8 in the morning for New Year´s so we are going there until we have to go back to piso. I want to do the 12 uvas (grapes) at midnight, so excited. Connor can explain. What are your plans? Hey, last year I came up with this idea from Alma 22:18 to follow the example of King Lamoni´s Father and start giving up some weaknesses/sins every year. Starting small, of course. One at a time. I mean, we obsess about what gifts to give our family, friends, significant others, etc...but how much time do we think about what we can give to the Lord? Do we even give Him a gift? He who has given everything for us and continues to do so daily...I wrote the scripture on an envelope and inside what I wanted to change/give up for 2012. We shared this lesson with the members in SanSebastian and we did it again this year. I loved opening that 2011 envelope up again and really seeing the difference in myself. I still have a loooong way to go, but I´m further along than I was then and progress is the real measure of who we are. So the question is...what will you give to your Heavenly Father this year...?

Welp, gotta run. I miss you all and am happy that you are happy.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!!

-Hna Clarissa Dalton