FELIZ NATAL!!! Eu ainda estou aqui...BUT I got my flight plans on Friday and I leave on January 3 at 9:55 from the Salt Lake Airport!!! How exciting hey??!?!?? Also today is Christmas and since we don't get to phone home I get to email! Not as cool but still. I hope you guys read this at sometime during the day. Although you are probably enjoying a delicious Christmas dinner at grandma's house while just had my cafeteria meal. Although it was't that bad. Elder David A. Bednar came today and his talk was so amazing!!! He talked about finding the Character of Christ in our lives and how that will help us become fully converted to the gospel. We also had a sacrament meeting with around 2120 missionaries. It was really awesome. Probably one of the biggest sacrament meetings in the world and it only happens every 7 years when Chrismas falls on a Sunday. Pretty cool experience. Thanks for all the stuff that you guys sent me!! I really appreciate it a lot. Please tell grandma and grandpa thanks as well. I will send them another letter but I won't be able to do that until Tuesday. I don't know what exactly my flight plans are right now but I will email them to you on Tuesday during my P-day. We have a pretty long lay-over in Boston where I think I will get to call home. I only have a week left!! Christmas Eve was pretty much a normal day except we watched a re-enactment of the nativity and then watched "A Chrismas Carol." It was a pretty good night and the first time I've seen the full movie I think. It wasn't the Grinch like we were hoping but it was still really good. So I've seen Jordan twice since he got here. The first time was when I was hosting new missionaries and the missionary I was hosting was in his district so I saw him when I brought the missionary to their classroom. Then I saw him at lunch one day. He seems to be doing really well and seems really excited. He is on the third floor of my residence building so I am going to try and see him again before I leave. It's crazy to think that I've been here for almost 2 months already. This next week is either going to go by really fast or it is going to drag on forever. I hope it kind of goes in the middle. But I am really excited to leave. Today we had a combined district meeting with some of the other districts in our Zone and read through the Christmas story in the Bible while singing Chrismas songs in Portuguese. We then finished with a testimony meeting and now we are emailing. I don't really have much else to write but if I remember anything I'll send it on Tuesday.
We are going to start preparing to leave and I'm going to have to figure out what I need and what I need to send back home. I think for the most part I have everything that I need but I am definitely going to have to send some stuff home.
The Spirit is so strong here, whether it's in English or Portuguese. Especially today. I love Christmas and even though it still feels a little weird not being at home with all my family, it's still Christmas and the Spirit is just as strong. I love all of you guys and am so thankful for all the amazing things that you do for me. Anyways, I have to get off because they still have to have tons of other missionaries email today. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and I will write again on Tuesday. I am super excited to go to Cape Verde and serve the people there. The Church is true and I want to share it with everyone!! Amo voces!!!!
Elder Brandon Dola
