2nd Transfer in Brazil

Dear family and friends! Merry Christmas or Feliz Natal em Portugues! I hope this email finds you all happy and cuddled up in your blankets because from what I have heard most of you are freezing to death! I am sorry that it is so cold for you all because it is a blazing 90 degrees here every day and I am pretty sure I am as red as a lobster! I need to use more sunscreen! I promise I put it on like three times a day and it is never enough! Anyways! I do not even know where to begin! This last week has been absolutely exhausting! With it being Sister Balls last week, we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get everything done for her, for our investigators, and for our ward! Well to start out the week, two families decided to have family home evenings this last week which was awesome, but that meant we needed to plan them! Food, activity, lesson, tudu! So, we invited all of our investigators that we could and less actives and NO SA! We had such a good turnout for both FHEs, it was seriously a miracle! We even had a crazy man from the street come in and listen and he was super Evangelical, and thought that we mormons were crazy, but he came in and listened to the message and was silent the whole time! Rodrigo was also at one of the Family Nights and he totally loved it, the ward is realy stepping up to work with him and fellowship him in the ward which is so awesome! We also were sitting in church last Sunday when President Andre, gets up and announces a missionary fireside for that Wednesday, haha we all turned and stared at each other in shock because we had absolutely no idea about any of this! Well, we talked with President Andre after and he said that we needed to have a fireside, so in three days we put met every single morning and put together a fireside for Wednesday night! The turnout was not as good as we wanted, but for only three days of warning it went surprisingly well and the branch really enjoyed it! Of course we ate hot dogs after because everyone in Brazil eats hotdogs after any and every event! Well, then Friday morning rolled around and we got a call from our district leader, he said we had to go bail out the faunt because it was broken and had not drained since the last baptisms three weeks ago. So we spent Friday morning in the faunt using buckets to pour the bug infested water down the toilets. My arms and legs are still hurting! But, we did HAVE A BAPTISM FOR RODRIGO! He is seriously the most humble, spiritual young man I have ever met! And he was just so ready to be baptized! I truly feel so blessed that we have been able to teach him and work with him! In our last lesson with him he asked if he could receive the Holy Ghost on his knees because he saw a picture in the pamphlet of Joseph Smith on his knees receiving the priesthood... WE tried really really hard to not laugh, but it was just so funny and he was so serious! We said we would talk with our district leader about this... The baptism went really well and ALL of the young men were there to support him, it was so awesome! Then we spent Friday night packing for Sister Ball and cleaning the apartment and at 3 am we got a ride to the Bus station and waited for three hours for the bus! We then rode the bus for ten hours, got in super late Saturday night, and Sister Ball left me :( I am super sad about this, but I know she has completed her time and it is time for me to have a new comp! So I am currently staying in Goiania with another sister until Wednesday when we have transfers and our Mission Christmas Conference with a TALENT SHOW! So excited! We also got to watch the Mission Choir sing in a concert last night which was super awesome! I am super excited for my new companion! But, also slightly nervous about someone new! I know it is for the best! Merry Christmas, I love you all! I know this gospel is true and I am so grateful for all of the wonderful blessings it has given us! Sister Brotherson