Elder Sweet: "That Greenie Aura"

Hey there!

We went to a dinner appointment last Monday and I completely forgot my tie! The Father in the family asked if I was a greeney, and I said yes. He said it was because I had the "greenie aura" about me, but that it was a good thing and that I should never lose it. Towards the end of our appointment Elder C. noticed that I was missing my tie, and mentioned it to me. The Father of the family then said that that's how he knew I was a greeney! It was an awesome laugh :)

How did Thanksgiving go for everyone? How was the trip up north? We don't get to call on Thanksgiving, typically it's only Christmas, Mother's day, and when we're in an airport. I'm sure that everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving anyways!

Let me tell you a little about my Thanksgiving, and what we've been up to the past week. We weren't able to meet with our investigators this week because they were either out of town or just not there (We did have dinner with the D's family, but he wasn't able to make it). For Thanksgiving we went over to the M's home, they're a family in our ward. We had an awesome dinner, and we sang Christmas songs (All missionary approved) on their Karaoke machine! It was a lot of fun :) We went and visited some other people too. One of them served his mission in China somewhere, and majored in Mandarin in school. He told us a lot about Mandarin. He knows the ancient chinese characters, the old ones, and the simplified ones. The ancient characters are a lot like hieroglyphs, their very pictorial. He also taught us some Mandarin tongue twisters! His wife is less active, so we shared a message with them too.

We got to teach a lesson to a brand new investigator yesterday too! Her name is L, and she's from Guatemala. She's in the United States visiting her family right now, and wants to be baptized. Her parents recently granted her permission to do so, so we got called to teach her. She was so receptive to the message of the restoration, and said right off the bat that she wants to be baptized. It's so neat seeing someone who already has seen the blessings of the gospel in the
lives of others, and wants that for herself. People like that are a lot like King Lamoni, whom Ammon taught in the Book of Mormon. They are so ready for the gospel, and so eager to learn more. We're going to be passing her off to the Spanish speaking sisters in the area, but I'm sure that we'll keep in touch and hopefully hear some more good news soon!

Lately our focus has been the "He is the Gift" initiative. It's about how Jesus Christ was the first gift of Christmas, and how we should keep him at the center of this season. The centerpiece is a brief film that you can watch online at christmas.mormon.org.

You can also watch it in Portuguese at http://www.mormon.org.br/natal . We were given pass a long cards to distribute when we talk to people, and a lot of people have responded very positively to it! We've had everyone from Atheists to Christians stop to here a bit about it, and it's so much fun seeing how this season unites people and causes them to open their hearts. Jesus Christ really is what it's all about, not just this holiday season but the gospel itself. He was a gift from our Heavenly Father, and our salvation is a gift from him. That's what's most important in our lives, recognizing our reliance on Christ. Christmas is a wonderful time to grow closer together as families and make cherished memories, but let us try to do so this season by coming closer to Christ. As we do so, we'll gain a greater appreciation for what he and Heavenly Father sacrificed to provide us with the opportunity to grow and become that we now have. By so doing, we will be able to see just a little more clearly how dearly they love us.

I become more converted to the gospel and the work everyday, and I'm learning to love the people. My capacity to work hard all day long is increasing. I've adapted to the schedule really well, and am actually getting up 30 minutes early each day now to go for a 30 minute run. I'm getting a sharper idea of what a good missionary does, and I'm working towards that. I've also really enjoyed seeing the spirit work through us. I'm gaining a stronger testimony of the principle that we need to treasure up in our minds the word of God, and then give no thought before to what we will say and that it will be given us in the very moment that which is needed. I've seen this principle in action so many times in so many little ways, but they're still present and strikingly displayed.

I love you all!

Elder Sweet