Feliz Navidad!

feliz navidad a todos!
esta semana voy a escribir toda mi carta en espanol. ojala que la entiendan. esta semana ha sido muy especial y el espiritu de la navidad esta tan fuerte. hemos tenido las programas de la navidad en la iglesia, y visto "mr. krueger's christmas" y "regocijaos, jesus nacio," y tenido muchas oportunidades de servir a los demas. tambien la clima es tan buena ahorita. estoy muy agradecida por mi llamamiento como misionera y por la gente buena que conozco aqui en mcallen. estoy tan agradecida por mi salvador jesucristo y todo lo que el me ha dado, y por su amor infinito que siento diariamente.
kim had her baptismal interview yesterday, and she'll be getting baptized this sunday. it is going to be a white christmas afterall. (cue drumroll... cheesy missionary joke.) tim got confirmed yesterday and it was awesome. they have been having marital problems, but the two of them working together and strengthening their faith seems to also be strengthening their relationship. they have been really great together lately. kim told us that when tim got baptized she felt really good inside. like a warmth in her chest and that she wanted to cry. we were able to testify to her that it was the spirit and that was really the turning point for her. she's been reading her book of mormon like a maniac and has been really really happy lately. we're so excited for her to get baptized this weekend.
we found a cool family, the figueroa family. the three kids, michelle 15, jackie 13, eric 12 have baptismal dates for january and we are hoping to get their mom.. we are meeting with her on tuesday. they are awesome. we've also been teaching a woman named brandy who has come to church a couple of times now and has a testimony. the only problem is opposition from her crazy husband/boyfriend/baby daddy. we're hoping for some miracles this week though.
the branch president from the young single adults branch down here gave all of the missionary companionships names of less actives members who should be attending the young single adults and wanted us to stop by them and visit them. at first we kind of thought it was a dumb idea and that the members should do it... but it has turned out to be the best thing we've done all week. we've found two new invesigators out of it so far.. family members of the less active members. i will tell you the story of one now:
Rosario Cardenas is the non-member mom of one of the less actives we were going by. turns out the kid got married and moved away. BUT. we had shown up just in the middle of a crisis and were an answer to a prayer. We were talking kind of small talk stuff to her at first. and it was getting to a point where we didn't know what else to say really and there was a silence. rosario looked like she was going to say something and i was sure that it would be "well, thanks for stopping by. see you later." i wanted to hurry and blurt out something about the gospel, but the spirit told me to stay quiet. tears welled up in her eyes and she said, "you know... our family has been going through some really rough times right now." she then told us the story how her daughter almost died last week and is in the hospital in the ICU. it made her step back and think that maybe she didn't push her kids enough or show her example enough in having faith in god. she thought of all these regrets that she had and she wanted her children to know god better. she told us "i think god sent you girls to me as a sign that i need come back to him and learn more about him and bring my family with me." we were able to testify of the power of the book of mormon in converting people to jesus christ and of the peace that it brings and the influence of god's spirit and the power it has to bring families together. as we prayed at the end of our experience the spirit was so strong and we were all crying. rosario grabbed sister busath and told her that she could feel her spirit and her love. it was amazing. she's going to be in the hospital pretty much all this week, but we are planning on stopping by this week and raking her yard and bringing a christmas present, and we will hopefully be able to meet with her when things calm down in the hospital. she said she would read the book of mormon every day until we see her again.
i am so grateful for the spirit that guides us in this work. i am so grateful that each of us gets to be the savior's hands here on earth and do his will if we really seek it out. i am so grateful for prepared people that are searching for truth. i know that heavenly father loves each of his children and is always willing to put people and blessings in our path when we ask for them and have the faith to recognize them. i know that it is only through jesus christ that our joy can be full in this lifetime and in the next.
merry christmas!
i love you all.