Date: Sat, 22 Dec 2001 20:44:42 
Subject: Christmas greetings

Friends,
	I can hardly believe that Christmas is here.  What a trip its
been.  There have been a few new developments in the past week or so that
I would like to share with you.
	This past Thursday I had a chance to play some soccer with some
friends of mine at some nearby courts.  We played on a concrete "quadro"
using a ball that was smaller and heavier than the typical soccer ball.
We played until someone scored two goals.  The losers sat and the winners
played the next team.  It was pretty fast paced with lots shots and quick
passes.  My team won 3 out of 7 games and I was even able to score once.
I don't think my "Americanness" came through too much and some other teams
even picked me up to play with them.  It was a ton of fun.
	I finished language school here in Campinas.  However, even though
my time here in Campinas is drawing to a close I still have much studying
to do and will need to complete 70 hours of independent work in the next
year with a private tutor.  My language skills have developed very nicely.
After my graduation this past Friday afternoon everybody ate lunch
together.  I sat at a table that had some non Portuguese speakers and I
functioned as the translator.  One of the girls I was translating for was
surprised to find that I arrived here just 3 months earlier.  It was all
very encouraging.
	As I mentioned before I will be spending Christmas with some
Brazilian families from my church.  I am not quite sure about all the
exact plans but I have a general idea of how it will go.  Christmas eve we
are all supposed to stay up and eat and eat until after midnight at which
time we welcome the new Christmas day.  Then we will go to bed and wake up
for a big lunch.  A friend of mine told me he had been running lately to
lose weight so that the weight he gains from eating over Christmas won't
make him fat!  I expect it to be a lot of fun and a good chance improve my
language skills.
	I will be moving to Sao Paulo on the 27th.  John Marshall (the
missionary that I will be working with) is coming to pick me up.  They
have been busy getting my house in order and hopefully we will be able to
get everything taken care of before the new year begins.  I am not sure
how my Internet connection will work once I get there so I may be out of
the loop for a little while.  I will no doubt be posting pictures of my
new house on my webpage as soon as I have the time.
	I hear its getting colder up there but we got nothing but heat
down here.  It doesn't feel much like Christmas without some frigid air.
Christmas trees and Santa Clauses just don't look right when people are
walking around in shorts, sandals, and tank tops.  I think this has worked
to my benefit as Christ has been holding me up and keeping me from
overwhelming sadness.

	Prayer requests for now:
		I will be able to use the language skills I have to
			establish relationships and become more fluent
		The move will go smoothly
		I won't be too sad over Christmas being away from my
			family etc.

	I hope all you guys have a wonderful Christmas.  Let us labor
together for the growth of His kingdom and the glory of His name.  I love
you guys!

Justin