Hola All Y'all: December 21st - 4 DAYS TILL CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!

FELIZ NAVIDAD Y'ALL!!!!

This week we had a lot of time spent finding and contacting again, and we found several people that we have high hopes for, especially an English-speaking family consisting of Danielle, her brother-in-law and his wife and 3 kids. When we taught them, it was just the parents and 2 of the kids (both under 8 I believe), but their kids were answering questions and participating, which hasn't happened before on my mission as far as I can remember. I feel like this family, with some effort of course on the part of the missionaries as well as the family, will accept the Gospel in time. They already have so much light and the Spirit was there. Our bike lights were stolen during the time that we were teaching them, but if I had to go back in time I would still knock on that door and teach them. Totally worth it. Don't get me wrong though, I was definitely not happy about my lights getting snatched. #seeyaonjudgementday

We are also trying to get Jaquelyn to come to church, our only progressing investigator that speaks Spanish. (Jose isn't technically progressing right now). She just wants to get to know the members before she comes to church so we're planning times when she could visit with them, perhaps the 31st for the Christmas/New Year's party, but hopefully sooner.

Bulon (sp?), who is very interested in symbolism, is the son of a potential that Acosta contacted with Johnson back before she got me. Their family moved here from Hawaii recently. His parents were out at a Christmas party, so we asked if we could share a message with him after some small chat. This 17-year-old is SO amazing. He is open-minded, loves learning, wants to become like Christ, and has a real intent that's easy to see. We gave him a Book of Mormon and he said that he would start reading and that he probably wouldn't be able to read ALL of the book, but that he'd try. Wait, what? Good gravy this guy thought we were challenging him to read the whole thing at once before we met again! Hahaha. No. Hna. Acosta then asked him to read Alma 32 because of the symbolism with the seed of faith.

We found a new apartment complex over 'the hill' that is near the other Hermanas' home. We didn't have much time there the first time but I'm excited to go back :) Muchos Hispanos.

Speaking of the Hermanas, guess who the new missionary is that Hna. Moline is training? Carly Mitchell. The girl I found on "Many are called ... But few are Sisters" (Sister Missionary Facebook page). Yeah. We're pretty much best buddies already and now I reeeeeeally want to be companions with her eventually. We make a great group. Elder Smith, who left to Tuscaloosa, was replaced by Elder Messick. Elder Smith and Messick were comps in the Provo MTC, so that's fun. He and Elder Wilson are having a hay day together already :) I love this District and the Rama.

Preguntas!

Do you know yet what you will doing for Christmas Eve and Christmas in the mission? Christmas Eve we will be at the Cruz's (all 6 of us). Christmas Day the Hermanas will be at Presidente Lopez's home and the Elders are going to the May's.

When do you expect to call home? We are planning on around 4

Did anyone take pictures of you hula hooping at the mission Christmas party? Probably. But better yet, Moline got a video soooo yeah. I made a lot of mistakes but I actually developed a new trick the day before the party/Talent show sooo that was fun.

Have you observed any uniquely Southern Christmas happenings there that you can share? Um. Not really. There was a sign off the road in someone's back yard that said "Happy Birthday Jesus"

We went to a Lutheran church yesterday morning because of the ukulele choir we're a part of on Wednesdays (sorry I forgot to mention that xP) and the director, Ferdinand (from Denmark with a crazy cool accent) asked us to sing "Angels we have heard on high". Their services had some things that were similar, but it was very different too. I enjoyed it, but I only felt the Spirit strongly once (almost to the point of tears though), and that was during a song that I had never heard before that talked about how there was only one king who stepped off His throne to save His people; I have the title in the program at home. I'll look it up. It was comforting to go to our branch later that afternoon where everything was familiar though it was in Spanish.

Well. There's Alabama life for you :)

The Church is true,

The Book is Blue,

and God loves you!

Hermana Laurel Martin