MERRY CHRISTMAS

Won't write a lot today cause I just wanna see my family haha but I hope you're all having an awesome Christmas!!! I've had a blast so far this Christmas but I'll let the pics show it!! Fanny will be baptized this Saturday! We're super excited, lots of good things happening!!!! Love you all!!! 

Some of you may recognize Elder Lewis, he's from the Santa Clarita area (kinda) it was awesome to see him again after so long, also saw my good ol MTC buddies, Cusco was a good time!!!

Cheesy Pics and Hiking / CHRISTMAS

 I hope all of you had a good week! This week we did a tonnnnnn, Last Monday night we caroled in the plaza and we'll be doing it again tonight, it's a blast because caroling is not something normal you do here haha. You already get looked at weird for being white but while singing it's even better, but we had some success we got some people to join and stuff like that so it was really cool. We also went and did service at a preschool and also sang to the kids, they LOVED it, we taught them the true meaning of christmas and how to sing Wish you a merry christmas. We've been trying to find different ways of contacting people instead just the good ol door knocking, so this week we played basketball with a bunch of kids, super fun but my gosh Sicuani is just in the clouds, there's no air and you get tired in like 4 minutes, still not used to it haha. We've also just been walking into stores with the Light the world on the tiny DVD player every room has in the mission, (I call it our missionary laptop) It's been working pretty well, people love talking about christmas. We're still teaching English  twice a week, and gospel principles which I actually haven't done yet on my mission so that's new and really fun. 

I also did splits this week with my good ol friend Elder Haws, this is like our 3rd time doing splits in the mission which is hilarious, out of all the people in the mission Elder Haws is just somehow always my leader haha, but anyways we were teaching english the other day during splits and we got a call that their window had blown off from the second story (it was raining super hard) and it had hit the street, we came back to the house and thankfully no car or anyone was hurt. So after finding that out it was pretty dang funny taping up the window peru style with scotch tape. Good time.

So we have an investigator named Fanny, she's about 14 years old and we set a baptismal date with her this week! For the 30 th of December, at first she was terrified (reminded me of Sara) But we came back a couple days later and she feels totally fine now which I'm super grateful for, she's been to church a million times and loves it and is also super smart and just knows everything, like many missionaries say, she's a golden investigator. We're going to be working a lot with her this week! Hopefully, this week is insane haha. We're still visiting Jennifer a lot and she actually came to church yesterday!! She's super cool she's just still trying to find that answer and receive that testimony. 

Elder Austin and I are having a blast, it's nice to speak English a ton cause half the Americans in the mission are in Sicuani haha. We will be going to Cusco on Wednesday!! It will be our mission christmas party with all the zones that are somewhat close to Cusco, (we're 3 hours away) We're super excited cause every zone has a "musical number" and ours is just a lip sync, with a dance;) Hope you all have an awesome Christmas!! I know I will cause I get to see my fam!:)

p.s.  We went hiking today 

Christmas Music

Definitely getting into the Christmas spirit, this week we wrapped book of mormons in wrapping paper and put notes in them and we'll be having a fun ding dong ditch session this coming week. There's a ton of things we have to do this month but it'll all be super fun. Our mission is having a christmas party but this time I'll be going to Cusco for it which will be awesome, we've been practicing for a song that we'll be lip synching and dancing too. For the stake christmas party all us northamericans will be singing All I want for Chirstmas is You haha. I will also be playing a long Christmas interlude on the guitar for the stake which I'm terrified about but honestly I'm just glad that I've been able to play the guitar so much on the mission. Lots of music practice but we're lovin it. It's been a blast living with the zone leaders and sharing the area with Elder Haws. So yah our ward has 4 missionaries in it which is super cool, it's kinda weird to see other missionaries in your area sometimes cause there's hardly any wards in our mission with more than 2. We teach 2 english classes a week which is a blast cause tons of people and investigators come. We're all trying to learn Quechua as well casue so many people here speak it, someone even gave a prayer yesterday at church in Quechua haha. 

So yah we're teaching lots of people! We're teaching a family which is kinda complicated but I'll explain it, so Edith is the mom and she's an investigator, she goes to church a ton and loves it, her husband listens to us but doesn't really want much to do with anything, but Edith wants to be baptized but needs to get married and her husband is kinda iffy on it but he said maybe in January so we're prayin for that. AND Edith's daughter Anel was baptized last year and introduced us to her boyfriend Eduardo this week, so basically we just teach them all at the same time and it's actually really cool, everyone's kind of at a different point in learning about the gospel but we're always able to help them all out especially from Anel's help and Edith is already a pro too so it's easy haha. We're also teaching Jennifer, she's awesome and always lets us in and has really good questions, she told us she wants to be totally sure about the church before she is baptized and so we're helping her recognize and receive that testimony right now. so this morning we helped a member make ice cream to sell (it was a ton of ice cream) and she lives with an investigator that we have named Olivia, she's doing really well and she always reads what we give her and loves it, so we're planning on asking her about baptism here real quick. So yah hopefully you enjoyed my little summary of our investigators, it's not everyone but they are the ones we feel are going to progress a ton!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“When we keep the spirit of Christmas, we keep the Spirit of Christ, for the Christmas spirit is the Christ Spirit. It will block out all the distractions around us which can diminish Christmas and swallow up its true meaning."

¡¡¡ Sicuani !!

Alrightyyyy, I'm already having a blast. First off Elder Austin is awesome, he's from Logan Utah, he has about 3 more months than me in the mission and we're lovin it. We're part of the ward that's just called Sicuani so we're rigtht in the middle haha. We also live with the zone leaders and one of them is Elder Hatfield who I met about a year ago in Yunguyo/ilave. Our district leader is Elder Haws who was my zone leader in Cusco. And also we're working kind of in a trio with Elder Bolduc cause he doesn't have a companion yet so he's working with us and the zone leaders. This Christmas is going to be awesome. Sicuani is the best, our zone is awesome and the weather is gorgeous. (For now) I can't really talk that much about the work and the investigators cause I'm still getting to know everyone but so far it's really cool. Our Pensionista is really sweet and funny, her name is Mery and she's been feeding the missionaries for like 20 years. (There's a picture) But yah we're all getting into the Christmas spirit like crazy and we're going to be doing a ton as missionaries. Lots of service and lots of mission parties. On the 20th we're having a Christmas party as a mission in Cusco and every zone has to present something like a sketch or a song and our zone is going all out so when we do it I hope I'll be able to get the video out cause it'll be hilarious. 

So yah Sicuani is super cool, leaving Mirador was really really hard, leaving Walter and Janeth and the kids was insanely hard but hopefully I can come visit after they're married and baptized;) I'm super excited to have a new start, time is going by fast and I'm trying to make the most of it but I know these transfers are just gonna be so fun, we have a ton of work to do and a lot to plan but it'll all be really sweet. Hope all of you are already getting into the Christmas spirit cause it's the best time of the year. Last night we decorated Mery's christmas tree drinking hot chocolate and singing christmas music. So I'm already super hyped on Christmas and hope you all are too!!! Have a good week and I'll let you know more about the people that we're teaching next week! Love you all!!!!!

2 Corinthians 12:9 

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.