Christmas pictures

Below are several pictures AJ emailed to us this past week...

We had a Fraternização de Natal [Christmas Activity] two weeks ago with half the missionaries of the mission (the rest of the missionaries had it the next day). It was awesome...we had a spiritual part at the beginning, at one part we watched this video called Missionary Work and the Atonement. It is really good...it actually made me cry :D. Afterwards, we had lunch and every zone did a presentation; for ours we sang a hymn.

Yeah, the package!!!!! [we lucked out and a family headed to Brazil were kind enough to pack items for AJ in their luggage, which then shipped from Sao Paulo] 

Papai Noel [Santa Claus], our mission president, distributing presents (our missionary packages)

Our apartment with the Christmas items you sent us! Obrigado [thank you]

Elder Mora and AJ holding the clever Christmas stockings made by his mom - AJ also enjoys some of his mom's homemade toffee 

So, Elder Boring dressed up like Papai Noel and we went walking with a group of members, singing carols while he distributed candy to all the kids. It was really funny. He would walk by a group of kids and they would all yell 'Papai Noel!!' and run to him! I was pretty jealous because he was able to run around and be a little goofy in his suit while we were in our missionary clothing, so had to behave ourselves a little more.

The family with whom we spent Natal! [they provided AJ and another Elder a computer for their Skype call home]

Panettone is the equivalent of Christmas fruitcake, but waaaayy more popular (Laurattone is a brand of Panettone). When you go to the supermarket during the Christmas season, there are literally aisles filled with boxes of Panettone. It's like this sweet bread with pieces of fruit, but also there's versions with chocolate chunks or jelly or doce de leite [sweet milk]. It's really good.

You know that group of cool dudes in every ward that always hang out together?

A market in front of a fruit farm

There's this guy in our ward who owns a banana plantation and every Sunday (except for Fast Sunday, of course) he brings a ton of bananas to church for everyone to eat.