Hello,

   Anna, your email was great and I am so thankful for your example. You will be a great Sunday school teacher I just hope that you are not still teaching Sunday school when you are your great grandma´s age. But hey, you never know. I hope everything is going good.
   I will start this email by recounting a dream that I had two nights ago. (We enter the dream). I was in Missouri and it was Christmas. I was leaving for my mission 2 two days after Christmas. Like always I wanted to squeeze every possible thing into the little time I had left, so I asked my mom and dad if all my friends could spend the night (Alex Baker, Tim Hanify, Kenny, Jamieson etc.). Surprisingly in the dream they said that was fine. We all slept next to Grandpy´s barn. I woke up late. I went to the house. Everyone had already opened gifts. I was so upset and everyone just looked at me like I was crazy for being mad. It was my last Christmas and I missed it. I immediately regretted having my friends over. So I guess the point of this dream is spend time with your family.
    The week was great. I know that I say I am learning a lot about myself every email, but this week and especially yesterday I learned a lot. Due to the lack of visas a few areas in our mission were shut down. One of them being the area next to ours. Right now we are working in both areas and it is extremely difficult, because we have great families in each area. For this reason we have been doing a lot of splits with other Elders. Last night for the first time I taught in our area without Elder Freitas. The Elder with me, Elder Long, speaks good Portuguese but he didn't know our investigators. For the first time I had to be the head of the lesson and direct the conversation. The family that we were teaching is awesome. The father had a dream after reading the Book of Mormon. In the dream he saw Elder Freitas and I surrounded by light and he knows the Book of Mormon is true. His son João Paulo prayed to know the truth of the Book of Mormon as well. He said during the prayer he felt a powerful feeling in his heart. This was interesting to hear, because the first time we contacted João Paulo he lied about his address. But, the power of the gospel is real. The mom, Sonia, told us last night that since we started visiting them she has felt more peace in her home, work as been better, and she feels happier. I am so excited to see this family get baptized and to see two new priesthood holders in Parque de Represa. They also have two daughters, Bianca and Beatrice. Since his answer, João Paulo has become a new kid. His eyes are completely focused on us, every lesson and he always reads the passages we mark for him.  I always feel the spirit in that home and they are a great family.
     I have also learned a powerful lesson about your relationships with investigators. A family we are teaching: Jessica, Cida, and Clefferson were doing great. Then after lessons we started staying for five minutes to have a little food and chat and whatnot. Quickly, they became more interested in us and less focused on their baptisms and the gospel. In a lesson this passed week we told them that our purpose is not to make friends, but to bring people into a knowledge of the fullness of the gospel so that they can be baptized. We are going to teach Jessica the law of Chastity this week, which is going to be rough because her boyfriend is a convert and we are pretty sure that he doesn´t care about the law of chastity. So she will have two Elders saying that the things that her member boyfriend has been doing are wrong. This is going to be a struggle and trial of her faith, but we have been praying a lot and we are going to deliver a powerful lesson and leave when the Spirit peaks, so she is left thinking.
    I will get a new companion before my next email so that will be interesting. Also, I am realizing, now that I am not with him, how amazing Elder Christensen is. I love that man and he will be at my wedding, whoever I marry, and you will meet him. Plus, I made him promise me seats when he plays in the Superbowl so you can meet him then.
     Thank you all for supporting me and making all the sacrifices that have made my mission possible.
    I sent you a letter noodle, but it will probably take about  a month to get there. Noodle, you are the best and I am proud of your straight A´s. You need to be your cousin Josh´s friend because he doesn't´t have any.
   Brazil is great and I will try to eat slow mom but I´m not making any promises and strangely enough I mainly eat ham and cheese sandwiches.

  Com Amor,
      Elder Nothum