Olá!

This week went by super fast. Christmas was fantastic. I loved being able to see my family. The time went by so fast, but it was great to see everyone and be able to talk. Technology is amazing. The rest of Christmas we spent relaxing. We also went caroling to a couple people in the apartment where we're at. We went with a couple of members and their kids. It was a lot of fun. There are some Christmas traditions here that are the same. There were a lot of Christmas trees and until today there are even Christmas lights in some areas! It still doesn't feel like that time of year, but it is nice to see some of the traditions.

The rest of the week flew by. On Tuesday we planned some trainings that we will give this next transfer. On Wednesday and Thursday, we went on an exchange. I stayed in my area with Elder Keller who was my companion in the MTC! It was a lot of fun to be with him again. We have changed quite a bit, but it also just feels like yesterday that we were together in the MTC. Those couple of days went really well. It is usually slower because a lot of people were traveling, but we were still able to teach a lot of people which makes the days go a lot faster and it is also just a lot more fun to talk with people and teach them rather than stop them on the street to try to talk to them and mark a day to go to their house.

I did one more exchange on Friday. I was with another American who is pretty new on the mission. It was a really fun day. It is a very different area because there are a lot of apartment buildings. That makes it harder to teach people unless you receive a referral. There was one part of the area that is a little poorer which made it easier to work there. We found a family with a young man that is 18. He seemed extremely interested in the message. I hope that he prays and progresses in the gospel. The rest of his family seemed interested also, so I hope all of them accept as well.

There weren't as many things to do the rest of the week. On Sunday it was hard because everyone was drinking and having a party. We came to the office to sleep. At midnight there were a bunch of fireworks. It was fun to see. It is crazy how the time has flown by. I was able to give a talk on Sunday. The bishop called me a few minutes before church and asked if I could. I hope that it went well and everyone understood me. I talked about the goals we make especially with New Years. I talked about how we can use the Atonement of Jesus Christ not only to cleanse us from our sins but also help us make any change in our lives and improve in any aspect that we want to. I know that He has the power to help us become the best that we can be and even more than we can ever imagine. He sees our potential. We should always trust in His plan and do all that we can to do our part. I am excited for this new year and for all the opportunities it brings. Thank you all for your love and support!

Amo vocês!

Elder Johnson