Feliz Natal!

(I know I'm late in getting this out.  I was feeling like a failure after my email this week to her did not go through and I didn't know until after she had written and was no longer on line.  Nothing worse than feeling like you've failed your daughter!  Thank you to all who write and email her.  It is truly the highlight of her week!)

Happy Birthday Will, Kim and Ashley!! One year older and wiser too--so true! I love you guys and wish you the happiest of days!!

Also, this week, our elders brought us letters. I was beyond happy to get letters from Dad, Mom, Noelle, Cam, Steven, David, the awesome Gilley family, Tina and Garth, and Sydney. Thank you so much, you guys! Words can´t describe the excitement I had and I already started writing back!!

This week was wonderful! It started on Monday with a feast for FHE with one of our pesquisadores and her family (I´ve never felt so close to explosion, but she kept shoveling food on my plate) and ended with the Christmas devotional in SLC. This weekend, I had the privilege of meeting a Sister Huffaker who was in Elder James Griffitts´ district in the CTM. So that was pretty neat! Sister Custódio and I also made plans for her to visit the U.S. after the mission. She wants to pass a Christmas in the U.S. with snow, so our hopes are high! On Tuesday, we had lunch at our stake president´s house. He told us stories of his mission that were so inspiring!!  And he told us that the trick was to simply believe. Have faith. I know this is definitely something that I´ve needed to improve, so this week, we all focused on developing our faith. And I can feel that the Lord is strengthening us more and more each day! On Friday, we had what I´ve been calling a Day of Miracles. The temperature was crazy--39 degrees celsius at one point--but we didn´t even notice the heat! Sister Custódio and I decided to just follow the Spirit. Our appointments for the day had fallen through so we just followed the Spirit down roads we´d never walked. And with ever person we talked, we found an elect. The Spirit was so strong in every lesson we taught and my testimony was incredibly strengthened! It was a fabulous day. This weekend, we also had stake conference. The choir was made up of the youth but they might as well have been the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They sounded so great!!! Every single talk was about missionary work. Every single one! I realized once again that sharing the gospel with others really is a part of our duty as members. It´s part of the covenants we make at baptism and it should be one of our primary focuses as members of the church of Jesus Christ. On Sunday, the session was a broadcast wih Elder Ballard which was wonderful. He too talked about missionary work and gave simple advice about how we can improve ourselves. It was ótimo.

I´m sorry this letter isn´t very detailed but I´m just about out of time! I hope all is well at home and in the U.S. and everywhere else in the world. I love you all so much and wish you the merriest of Christmases! It really is the most wonderful time of the year, getting to ponder on the humble birth of our Savior and enjoying the kind spirit that accompanies every child of God. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Com amor,

Sister Ball