Christmas Week and Happy New Year!

Christmas was great! It was so great to see all of you! This week was fun! We had the mission Christmas activity and we did secret Santa in the zone. I got I giant flounder fish from The Little Mermaid and I had asked for typical things from Guatemala....so they gave me tortillas, and other stuff but I thought it was rather creative! We had 4 or 5 Christmas dinners, I cant remember, I just remember lots of tamales! The rest of the week we practiced for the mission Christmas activity we had. We had a talent show, they gave us a quiz on Preach my Gospel, and we ate lunch and watched a movie! It was fun. For our talent we first did an act to a song, I did a cartwheel and then we made a movie. So when you get trained they have these movies you have to watch called The District...in these movies everything is perfect...I imagine how Rach´s mission is, haha but anyway we did our own district but Guatemalan style, it was fun.I hope you all are doing well! Happy New Year!

Did I tell you this experience that I had that Rach will probably not have the opportunity to have?  It is about the drunk on the street, he asked if I was from the states, I said no I was from Africa, he asked me why I was white, I told him because Africa has white people and asked him if he wanted to hear the African language, he did, so I did some tongue clicking, he thought I was amazing!

That's about all that's going on here. Our ward starts meeting at 8 A.M. next week so that's a bummer but yeah other than that things are good and normal! I love you!

Celebrate Christmas Guatemalan Style

Me and Flounder for Christmas

Mostly pictures. 16 down and 2 to go!

Look at this PIG!

My generation! My kids, grand kid and great grand kid
Hermana Hurtado,ME, Hermana Peguero, then my grandkid, Hermana Goddard and my ggk is Hermana Page 

 The only way the celebrate anything here!

We did some painting!

Feliz Navidad!

Big tree!

 I ate pig this week, did divisiones and went to a party while there and got a present! I had a meeting for Hermana Líderes, we had a big stake choir performance and a baptism! She is so cute our convert! And we sang at the hospital!

December 16

Nothing much exciting this week, except I painted a house, did divisions and went to the temple!

Question and answer period!

1.So have you started doing your 12 days of Christmas? Are you reading the scripture and trying to figure the gift out before opening them? How are your guesses? 

Yes I started the 12 days of Christmas and thus far I'm a pretty good guesser except this morning I got tripped up but that wasn't my fault, I read the scripture in Spanish and the word is different but good thing I know the scriptures in Spanish and English!

2. What is your favorite food there?

 absolutely love fried plantains with this special cheese they have or cream and beans. I also like carne asada.  and hot chocolate and sweet bread that they have that doesn't exist in the states, but I'm talking to a member here who is going to teach me how to do it!

3. Any idea of when you will get to Sykpe? And where will you do it from?

I will Skype Christmas day from the computer of my ward mission leader, just tell me what time and the name I should call!

4. How is your BEST friend doing since her Baptism?

She is great! We went to the temple this week with her, I did a session and she did baptisms and she told me once she stepped into the temple all her pains just went away! It was awesome!

5. Do you have any desire to go back after you come home? I guess some Hermana that recently came home is there right now with her Mother.

Yeah I would like to come back and visit one day, especially for a couple families here in this area and to visit the ruins, since I wont have a chance right now.

I'm Losing my Hair!

My week was good! This week my best friend here in the area finally got baptized! This day is supposedly called the day to burn the devil, so she felt it was appropriate to get baptized this day! It was great, we are hoping to go to the temple with her and her son this Friday!!! Tuesday we had a super long Meeting of leaders! But things are now all planned for Christmas and I have my flight plans! I get in at 4:15 pm 20th of Feb! Yesterday we went to an area that is part of our area but the elders only go there cause it is far, but I decided I'd go! It was a good time! Then we got back and watched the devotional! It was nice to relax and listen to the prophets!  I watched fireworks last night after the devo. They do fireworks for Christmas here! I really have nothing else exciting to report on! I am sorry I am boring! 

Question and Answers:

1. How often do you have to speak in Sacrament Meeting or Teach at church?

 In this area, rarely, I have only spoke 2 times. In my first areas we had to teach gospel principles every week

2. How do you feel your Spanish is?

 I feel like I can always improve, but I can get along, it is not as good as others but my Spanish isn't the worst either

3. What would you still like to accomplish while there?

idk, I want to better my Spanish and just keep going to the end

4. HAS your Christmas package come yet?

Yes I got the package! You are so cute! I am assuming the other stocking is for my comp!

5. What do you think you will buy for the Latina/os? Do you have enough money?

I have no idea what to buy them, maybe candy or bracelets for the girls. Idk

6. Do you want to Skype on Christmas or is that too hard for you?

Yeah we will Skype Christmas...we only have an hour this year :( How can I skype Rachy poo?)

oh and what do i do!? my hair is falling out?! Another Hermana here wanted to straighten my hair so we did it, and on parts she used a real iron!! bad idea and so now it is falling out, I have like the hair of a normal person now...I'm freaking out! I will not let her near my hair again, that was already established, but I might come home looking like daddy

The Neighbor's tree

December 2 The BUTT of A Turkey is disgusting!

I didn't murder the turkey but it was so gross I'd rather not cook another one! I was waiting for my Zone Leader to come so he could stick his hand up the turkey's butt because I had no desire to do that, but he didn't show, he was busy preaching the gospel...how lame! Anyway so I made my comp do it but I did the rest and it turned out delicious and everyone loved it! It was a Thanksgiving miracle! 

I'm glad you are treating the sisters good. This morning this woman in our ward and her daughters did the sweetest thing of my life. Last night she asked me to stop by this morning, so we did, and she was like we have a surprise for you, we are going to do a mini spa for you here in the house. They gave us pedicures and foot massages, the little girls told me they wanted to do it because I have sacred feet! Then they served us breakfast, it was so sweet!

No my ZL don't read my emails, but one of them is writing Rach so he is reading hers..hahahah!

I didn't have changes, so things are about the same for me, but I might be the only sister leader here in the zone...I'm not sure. It isn't that hard be a Sister Leader, mostly the ZLs do stuff, I just take numbers and do divisions, which I love! This week was fun for changes and for Thanksgiving and our Relief Society had a Stake activity where they showed all the things they learned this year and did Acts. They presented cakes I had taught them, so that was fun! 

When told that cooking a Turkey wasn't that horrible and next time here in the states she could cook just a breast, she responded:

ok that's what I'll do, or I'll just go with you guys and Aunt Linda will do it!

I CANNOT put my hand in there!

Got My Candy Advent Calendar!