January 4th

Well its probably about time I take the time I should and write everybody a good letter with whats going on here in Brazil. On the 21st of this month I will actually be out 1 year!! As I look back in some ways it passed very fast and in others I cant even imagine one more year. But everybody says now is when the time will start to
pass by fast.

I had a great xmas here in Brazil. I am still waiting for all my packages from home but thats all part of being 2000 miles away. On xmas night we went to a members house in the area next to mine which has sisters. The sisters were nice enough to convice a member to invite the elders to their xmas bash. LOL. Christmas in Brazil is very different. First off.... no snow.....its just not the same. Here there isnt a
bunch of hype about Santa Claus. Also here everybody opens their gifts at 12:00 midnight and then party until 3 am. So then on xmas day everybody sleeps in till 3 pm. LOL. Being a missionary though we had to be home and in bed still at 10:30 ;-) On Christmas day we had a non-stop day. I first went to Palmeiras to my first area at 7am to visit the people there until 11am. From there it was 1.5 hours by metro and bus to lunch on the other end of Sao Paulo at a good friend of the families house. From there it was back to our area to have dinner and give out gifts to some children here in my area.

New Years eve was about as exciting since again we did have the rule of being home by 10pm. Starting this time of year EVERYBODY starts their almost 2 month long vacation that will only end after Carnival at the end of Febuary.

Well tomorrow is transfers which is always exciting. This transfer meeting is big for me because.... I get my replacement!!!!!!!! Thats right.... here in 3 weeks I am out of here and back to the mission field. I still have no idea to where I will go but have heard I will proabably be opening an area. So I will train him for three weeks and then....there I go. This will be the second time that I have opened an area. I am a little nervous to get back out there in the rut and grind but at the same time more excited than I can explain. This experience here in the office has been just that... an experience. It was great to get to see everything that really goes on to run a mission.. but Ive also never been more stressed in my life I think than I have been these last 5.5 months. But I know the Lord wanted me here in the office and I did my part and now my turn has come to go back out there.

We have a few investigators we are working with that I am hoping we can get baptized here in the next three weeks before I leave here. We have a family from Bolivia that are doing great but its really hard for us and for them because they only speak Spanish. Where´s my brother Jaren who speaks Spanish when I need him. I am actually learning Spanish working with them. I can almost understand everything they say. Speaking.... thats a differnt story.

Well I hope everybody is doing great and had an amazing Christmas and New Years. I hope that this year brings happiness and joy to all your lives. I am very greatful for the last year I have spent here in Brazil. I have seen many changes within myself and I am sure the next year will bring even more. I am so greatful for my family and I am amazed to the see the love the Lord has for my brother Mitchall. He
came so close to leaving us but it looks like that just isnt the plan that God had for him. I hope that he and the restof my family can always use this expierence throughout our lives to remember really how important others are to us.

Mitchall has always been a little distant from the family these last few years but I know for a doubt their isnt a single person in my family that loves him less for it. I want to thank you all who I know had and still have Mitchall in your prayers. Once again a happy new years to all of you!!!

Love Elder Wilkey