Meeerrrrrrrrry Christmas!!!!

Hey everyone!  I am super excited for this week.  We have got so much cool stuff lined up. We have a pesquisadora that went to church who is planning to be baptized this Saturday, who invited us to pass by on Christmas; we´ve got skype, and also, Irmã Leda said she is going to give us socks for Christmas!!!  (Somehow she figured out that they are full of holes haha).  It is going to be the best Christmas ever!

So a little bit on what happened this last week.  

A new lady moved into the ward and gave us a fruitcake kindof thing that is called pantetone...but instead of fruitcake, it was full of delicious chocolates!!!  I think it was a call for us to go visit her and baptize her non member husband. haha

Fabiano (our Ward mission leader) and I sang Oh Holy Night in front of everyone at church and then we went around doing visits singing them carols.  We went to the house of two old ladies- a mom and her daughter.  Her daughter had just lost her husband.  We sang the portuguese version of White Christmas and we felt the Spirit hit like a wall.  It was a sensation that I have only felt a few other moments before.  She was smiling and sobbing at the same time as we finished the song.  She wants us to go back and give her the missionary lessons.  Im so excited!  Im just thinking, how do you baptize an old lady??

Last night there was a training for the ward counsell of the entire stake of Madureira.  We received a call that we would have to be there too.  We went and there was a 70- Elder Cruz.  He called us up to the front and had us give a training to the stake with him!  Coolest night ever!!!   

We had a mini miracle happen this week.  We are working a lot with Paulo to help him grow his faith.  We left the goal with him that if he feels ready, he will be baptized on Christmas as a present to Christ.  However, for him to be able to do this, he had to go to church this week.  Saturday night we went there to confirm everthing and he told us that he wouldnt be able to go, and told us an excuse.  We used all of the techniques we know and he still was firm in the *i am not going* decision.  We invited him, *tonight, you pray and you ask God where he wants you tomorrow, and if you decide to go, Lilian will pass by to pick you and your family up.*  We prayed that night as a zone- a lot- so that the Lord could change his heart and help him go to church.  We were sitting in the sacrament meeting and lilian wasnt there yet. All of a sudden the door opened and Lilian walked in with Hugo and Davi.  The door opened again-  Paulo!!!!!  We showed him the baptismal font and all that good stuff.  We will go there tonight to reinforce the invitation to be baptized this Christmas.  If you could keep him in your prayers, I know the Lord will hear you, as I know that he has heard our prayers.

I am loving being the comp of Elder Hansen again.  Im learning so much and we are finding a lot of eleitos (elects?? idk)  For instance, we were walking in the street and I saw a woman walking towards us with her head down.  I poked Elder Hansen and was like - this is an Irmã from the church.  As she got closer, I called her attention and started talking to her.  Welp, it wasnt someone from the church.  She told us that she had already been taught by the missionaries 2 years back and that she had left her church to be part of the LDS church.  However, after going to church like 4 times, the Elders stopped going to her house and she got really sad.  (Transferred??)  We went there and taught her, she went to church Sunday, and is really excited to be baptized this Saturday.  Só milagres aqui em Sulacap!!!

Well, Ive got other stories, but I will have to tell you on skype.

Love you all!!!

Elder Stinnett