All Is NOT Quiet on New Year's Day (U2)

Como vai everyone!!! How is everybody doing this week? I have had a
really enjoyable week. New Year´s was crazy (more about that later)
and the temple this morning was incredible. I am truly growing to love
Brazil. The food is good - yes, its meat and beans and rice everyday,
but it has grown on me! Fruit is awesome as always (I had the greatest
mango and pineapple this morning). I am truly loving my mission. The
blessings I can feel every day grow more stronger as I learn to focus
on the work. That is one thing I struggled with the first few weeks. I
was worrying about other things. I have now learned to focus on the
Lord, focus on helping others, and it all comes in it´s own time.

That scripture,
´When you are in the service of your fellow men, you are in the
service of your God´ is completely true. A sister in our district was
having a difficult time the other day and I felt prompted that I
should write her a letter of encouragement. I shared several
scriptures with her and delivered it to her. She started crying as she
came up to me to shake my hand and say to me, ´Thank you so much,
Elder Eastwood. You dont know how much I needed that.´ I have noticed
that when I am more focused on other people, the Lord is more focused
on me. The Spirit is with me more. I have taken to asking everyone in
my district how they are doing each day and I am always willing to sit
down and talk with them if they are struggling. It has been a real
blessing to do this. It helps me learn to love EVERYONE. It has helped
me to learn more about how Heavenly Father feels about each and
everyone of us.

New Years was fun! We had a MTC talent show. I didnt
participate, just watched, but after that the MTC President gave out
some ´awards´. I won ´Best Hair In The MTC´, ´Happiest Laugh In The
MTC´, and I was in second place to win ´Best Dressed at the MTC´
(everyone loves my gray suit and all my ties), but I lost to some
elder who brough a cumberbund on his mission!! One of my friends,
Elder Shafer, brought some cardigans and sweatervests and he and I
both wore them and had ourselves a ´Classy New Years Eve´. It was
really nice! That night, when it got dark about 8:00, the fireworks
started. They went all night long. At midnight, you could hear the
crowds of people outside shouting the countdown!!! Then the HUGE
fireworks show started. The sky was lit up and you could hear all the
sounds. It sounded like warzone. So cool! I got some sweet pictures.
It was a cool experience. Mom and dad, how was New Years in NYC?

I got my first
haircut by someone other than my mom last week. It was....weird. The
barber only speaks Portuguese, but luckily I knew enough to not get
all my hair shaved off! But the haircut turned out just fine. I look
as classy as ever. But it did make me miss my dear mom and all of her
incredible haircuts. Thanks mom! Im so grateful for you!

São Paulo is really
cool. Sometimes at night, people on motorcycles just race up and down
our street. Its so much fun to watch! And during the day, live bands
get up on the rooftops and play. It reminds me of U2´s Where The
Streets Have No Name music video. Im glad I have a few friends here
who are big U2 fans, cause I can sing the songs with them! One of my
teachers actually went to the U2 360 concert here in São Paulo in May
and showed me some of her pictures! cool!

Things are going good here. Im loving the
work! I only have three more p-days in the MTC! Then its off to
Goiânia to get the real work started. Speaking of that, I leave the
MTC on January 30th...they are telling us to tell everyone that if you
have letters to send to me at the MTC, keep doing it till about two
weeks before Jan. 30. At two weeks before that date, send them all to
my mission home address, which is hopefully on my blog!

Love you all! Have
faith and trust in the Lord. Jesus Christ can be your greatest comfort
and strength. Love, Elder Spencer Eastwood. Ether 12:27