Feliz Navidad!

¡Hola familia mia! This email may be tiny because I´ll be talking to you on the phone this week. Hooray!

Daddy-O wanted to know about Honduranian Christmas traditions. I´m sure I´ll see what it´s really like on Thursday (they do most of their celebrating on the 24th) and be able to tell you on the phone on Friday, but here´s what I know for now.
They have fireworks, they eat tamales, and they paint their houses. It´s funny to walk past a house that once was blue and see that now it´s bright green. It´s funny too because to take down someone´s address we write in our planner ¨Neighborhood San Jose, past the school a little ways, in the blue house.¨ And then they paint their house bright green. =)
We have un montón (quite a few) dinner appointments for the 24th. I´m sure I´ll be gordita quite soon! It´s a miracle I´ve maintained my weight thus far.
A quick spiritual experience and then I´m signing off... we haven´t had much success as far as baptisms, and we´ve been feeling bad because we´re working hard all day every day and with little results (as far as numbers that is). On Saturday during personal study I felt prompted to study fasting, and decided that I could still do more to find and bring souls unto Christ. We fasted, and during the time when we usually have lunch we had three great contacts, including a family that seems very receptive. I have great hope for the Family Castillo. I know the Lord answers our prayers of faith, especially when we seek to combine our will with His.

Even my short emails are super long winded!. I love you all and am thrilled to talk to you por telefono soon!

XOxoxoxo Hermana Francis

PS Dad also asked about my companion... Her name is Regina Verónica Rosales Arias and she´s from Granada, Nicaragua, close to the largest lake in the world. She´s amazing, and my best friend here.

PPS The members here don´t believe me when I tell them that there´s snow and snowmen in Utah. Could you email me a pìcture? Thanks. =)