Elder Cole Gunnoe: Email received December 23, 2014

Bom dia meus amigos! (Good morning my friends!)
Tudo é ótimo aqui em Brasil! Estamos trabalhando até o pó e é muito bom! Eu amo está obra e este país!
Things are going very well here in Parnaíba! It was SUPER hot this last week! And the wind kind of died down for a few days. So we were baking in the sun! But it was a good week!
Quarta-feira foi bom de mais! (Wednesday was very good!) We taught a ton of lessons and talked with a lot of people! We had a very solid day of teaching and helping people!
Quinta-feira (Thursday) was a great day as well! But we talked with some of the people we teach and they were having some big problems. They were very sad and wanting help. So they became our priorities! We are going to be talking to them every other day and working hard with them to help them progress and to become better!
Sexta-feira (friday) was a very long day. We had zone choir practice in the morning from 8-11. And after that, we went to lunch in one of the conjuntos. But the sister that we had marked for lunch forgot... So it was mid-day and there was no wind, no shade, and more than enough sun. It must have been close to 100 degrees that day. And we were far from the apartment. So we went to the house of the mom of the sister that was supposed to have lunch, but she wasn´t there either. We decided at that point to go see a less-active sister who has a market there in the conjunto to buy a little frozen yogurt negocio for the 25 minute walk back to the house. And when we got there, she said she´d make us a little something really quick to eat. And it was super good! it was just rice with hot dog in some kind of sauce. not sure exactly what, but it was super good! She saved us that day! Then that evening, we had the District (too small for a stake here, so it´s a district) christmas activity. The missionaries in the zone did our choir part with a video and a couple people gave short talks. It was short, but good! Then after, it was 9:30 when we got to the corner to wait for the bus. So we sat down to wait like we always do. But the bus never came... So about 10:00, the Zone Leader walks by and asks why we are there. We tell him and he calls a taxi for us (we don´t have a celular). And 15 minutes later, the taxi gets there. So we got back home at 10:30. And 5 minutes later, a bus passes the house... -_- So we paid 20 reyes for a taxi instead of 1.20 for a bus... But at least we got home! And the taxi was WAY better than the bus!
Sábado (saturday) We talked with a bunch of people! some investigators and less actives, but a lot of them were leaving to go places for christmas. We had a good visit with the family that we found last week. They are super awesome! All very funny and always joking, but also very interested and excited about the Gospel! They are super fun to be with! We talked with another investigator who is having family trouble. Satan is really working hard on some of these people to keep them from the church. But it´s funny because this particular mulher (woman) is feeling major lack of church and us because of these things. We didn´t see her all last week, and then all of this happened. But now she is super ready to learn and progress more! So joke´s on Satan! haha
Domingo (Sunday) was super good! We had that super awesome family and the mulher with family troubles all at church! And they LOVED it! Especially the family! The whole branch was muito animado (excited)! Everybody shaking their hands and hugging and laughing and just being so awesome! The branch loved them! And now the family is even more excited to continue going to church and more willing to be baptized! So amazing how the Lord works! After church, we had lunch in the farthest part of this whole area. It was a 30 minute walk there at mid-day under the sun. But it was super good! We had fish and rice and beans. Super good!
Segunda-feira (Monday) was a good p-day! We went to the house of one of the coolest families I have ever met! We hung out with them for a while and joked around with them and just had a good time! They fed us lunch too! And then after that, we went to Shopping! it´s the mall here in Parnaíba. It was pretty cool! Had a good time there. Then we came back and went to work! We had a noite familiar (FHE) with a family that is having some major problems. The dad almost left. But the Lord sent us there one day and things have been getting better slowly for them. So we will keep working with them!

All in all, it was a very good week! Had a lot of success, but it came with a lot of work! And we will continue to work hard so that we can help bless the lives of others. Especially this week since it´s Christmas! I hope that everyone is doing well and you are all bem animado for Christmas! But always remember the reason we celebrate this holiday. On December 25th, we celebrate not a day of material presents and cookies and worldly things. We celebrate on this day the birth of the greatest life this world has ever and will ever know. We celebrate because all of humanity received a gift of greater importance than most will ever know. We celebrate the life of the Son of God, the Savior and Redeemer of this world. And He gave us the ultimate present. One that lasts for all eternity and will never dull or break or rust or be lost. A gift of more worth than can be imagined. Christ gave His life so that we may gain ours. He gave His life so that we may gain an eternal life and happiness. Because without him, we would not be able to be saved. So when you wake up on the morning of December 25th, think of the true Gift that the whole world has. And always remember Him and His sacrifice.
I love you all! Have a wonderful Christmas and may the Lord bless you in all you do!

Love,
Elder Gunnoe

Santa picture in Brasil :)