Dec.20,2010

Dear Mom and Family,

MERRY ALMOST CHRISTMAS!!! Good to hear that things are going well back home! Things are going really well here in the mission. Gladly this week was a much warmer. And seriously it gets really cold here. I sleep with all of my blankets and a sweatshirt. I still cant were socks when i sleep though. Still i am grateful that it´s not as cold as it is at home and i am grateful that i dont have to work in the snow.

Today was a pretty cool P'day. We had our annual mission Christmas conference. It was really really nice. The office elders, the senior couples and president and his wife worked really hard to make it very special. I got your packages and i want to thank you for always being so good to me. The conference consisted of lots of different things but i think my favorite part was the talent show. The best one was when all of the Polynesian elders did a performance. It was a really cool tribal type dance. I also really enjoyed the conference b.c. I was able to see all of the missionaries and see how they are doing.

This week was the best week in my entire mission for working with members. Our goal this change is to have 15+ lessons with members each week. This week we were able to not only reach that but pass it easily, we taught 22 lessons with member. I really think that it is going to help us have more success. I´ve set really high goals for myself and this area in the time that i will be here and I know the way that we will be able to reach these goals is through working with members and focusing on families. We are really starting to take off here and i think we will have a lot of success in the next coming months. I also realized this week, as i was reading over some notes that dad sent me not to long ago, that i cant forget about maybe the most important part of missionary work, working with the spirit. Having the Spirit has been the overall goal during my whole mission and i am rededicating myself to doing everything possible to have the spirit. I know it is the true key to success here as a missionary and in life.

This week we also had our ward Christmas party. It was really simple (because we are using the money we would have used on the party as well as a special fast offerings money this week to buy Christmas dinners for needy families.) I really really liked the idea and really enjoyed the party. We just did a message and some cider and all the members were suppose to bring a Nativity set. Well i didn´t have a Nativity set so i got creative and used the pictures that i have here to make the nativity. I´ll send pictures next week.

So we have our baptism scheduled for this Saturday, Christmas day so I'm not really sure what time i will be able to call you. However he didn´t come to church yesterday so I'm a little worried. I'm really really hoping fasting and praying that he will be ready by Saturday. His name is Ismael Ruiz. I'm going to fast for him after lunch tomorrow and if you would like to join i would be more then grateful. Other good news is that my last area (Trebol- from when i was in the office) is going to have 5 baptisms this month, 1 down, 4 more on Saturday. One of them is a mom with 3 kids that i found while I was there, Hna Suchite. She is an awesome lady and one of the Elders told me that on Sunday when she went to church she just was shining with a new light. Like she was a new person. I am so happy and proud of the people and the Elders there.

Remember that Christmas is a time to remember Jesus and refocus on how we can follow him better next year. Always remember that He suffered for us and that we can be forgiven of all of our sins if we will just humble ourselve and change.

So a few other things. There is an Elder James Adams who just finished his mission on Saturday and should be contacting you all soon about something that I sent with him for you. He is a big BYU fan and i was thinking that it might be a good idea to invite him to a BYU basketball game for what he did.

Well I love all of you very much. I am very excited to talk to you this week as well. I´ll probably call you first sometime the 25th. Im not exactly sure how will do it yet though b.c im not sure which is cheeper. Have a very merry Christmas!! and tell everyone I say merry Christmas as well.

Love,

Elder Vincent

PS. Tell Andrew congratulations for me and Where is nathan going?