Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays . . .

Sorry that here in Portugal they don`t celebrate Thanksgiving (not very grateful people), so my rule for Christmas starts after Thanksgiving doesn't apply and all my investigators already have to hear us sing Christmas hymns and it is going to last for the next month and a half. Also, my comp reminded me that Christmas means WE GET TO SPEAK TO EACH OTHER! What is it like still being connected to the outside world?

President says if you want to send me a package/mail for Christmas, then it needs to be sent by the 21st of November. So this is me shamelessly begging ALL OF YOU to send me love over the big pond for Christmas time. Because really....I'm gonna need it.

Speaking of love, one time during lunch this week, the other sisters tried to play a game called `Let`s talk about how Sister Brooks shouldn't drink Diet Coke.` It was funny. And they lost.

As for the foot, I got an xray, and they said its not a bone thing. They said that it might be a ligament or something and that I need an mri, but I think mri`s can wait until next year.

ALSO. How dare you people---not telling me that Jim got engaged. I`m on the other side of the ocean....I didn't fall off the face of the earth. CONGRATS JIMMINING!!

This week---AMAZING things happened. We were on our way to an appointment with our sweet little Brazilian family, and there was this lady on the street and she was looking at us and slowed down, so we did what we do and started talking to her. And then we kept talking to her and then we said a prayer with her, and after ward she literally stared into my soul and goes, `Porque estava a olhar para mim?` And I was like uhh....(because you were in the street) `Porque Deus sabia que precisava desta mensagem.` `E porque eu olhei para ti?` Uh....... `Porque Deus sabia.` And then she hugged me, and my whole heart was filled love and I had one of those moments where I just felt like I knew her from before and that we are friends already. Except we didn`t get her information, so now she is lost forever, but I have hope, because she has ours, so here is to praying that she calls us.

Speaking of my Brazilian family, they came to church on Sunday! All of them! And their sweet daughters just want to play with me and talk to me and hang on me and I just stand there helpless, because I`m not allowed, but I secretly love the love they have for me, and I miss children.

Ah! Happiness! I am just so happy. The work is actually going SO well here. Remember that lady that our Recent Convert stopped on the street and told to come to church and then she showed up? Well, she`s been coming to church every week since and the first time we met with her she was like listen I am NOT getting baptized, butttttt we marked her for the end of November this week!! Now she just has to stop smoking and all will be well! She wasn`t accepting it at first, but then Rosa gave this bomb testimony about all the things that were going wrong in her life before her baptism and how every single one of them was taken care of after her baptism and how she stopped smoking and how God is so aware of her and every one of her children, and I just sat there like a proud mother doing nothing and just letting her teach away.

I love you all. I miss you a lot. I remembered that tv exists this week, and that was hard for me. Is that wrong? Sorry. I love you all so so so so so much. Enjoy Australia. Enjoy water. I just drink it now. Ugh it is so gross. I probably have a million other things to tell you, but I can`t think straight and I`m being really sassy today (blame Kristan), so I`ll stop while I'm ahead.

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

Sister Brooks

ELEANOR---YOU ARE IN BRAZIL!! OH I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!! Make someone make you pão de queijo and bolo de brigadeiro. Oh I die. You are perfect. They are going to eat you up.