Sounds like you guys had quite the fun this Christmas and New Year's Eve! I love the pictures from all the games you played. My favorite is with Grandpa with the thing that opens your mouth super wide hahaha, that's awesome! And of course Dad was cheating. What a surprise.
I'm sooo glad you guys loved the presents! I was trying to think of things you guys would like personally and that represented and showed Perú. I had to put on latex gloves and wash my hands and eyes for about 2 days straight after I bought the one tie for Dad.. but I'm glad he liked it. (This is a joke. Cory bought his dad a Peruvian tie with a "Y" on it for BYU. Cory is a Utes fan, so he was teasing about the "Y" on the tie causing him problems.)
Okay so this week started off pretty great! We had brownies and hot fudge and ice cream with the Whitney's and then afterwards we played football. Like, real football! I realized how complicated it is compared to futbol. The Latinos did not know how to play. It was pretty funny but way fun too!
That day on the way back from there, we got pulled over on the bus. The bus was loaded front to back. All the seats were filled and every person was shoulder to shoulder. Literally the whole bus was filled and that's very illegal here! The guy who works the door got out as the cop comes up and then like 20 seconds later he gets in and goes, "lets go!" Haha he payed off the cop 10 soles to let them go... literally about 3 dollars and 40 cents. It was super funny! The bus driver and the door guy were super funny and the bus driver kept calling me and Elder Stroud "gringitos."
Later during the week we taught Lilia and Abraham and set a fecha (date) with them for the 28th of February!! They seemed pretty good about it and want to work to get married, possibly on my birthday. They were going to do it on the 14th but then I told her my birthday is the 15th, so they think they're going to work for that day! Later we taught them Mosiah 5 and I asked, "What is this talking about?" Lilia responded that it's talking about keeping the commandments and making covenents. I was like, "YUP!" Then I asked, "Which covenants do you think it's talking about here?" She said, "I think it's talking about marriage and baptism..." I was like "YUPP!!!" Haha it was awesome. It made me so happy!! We really are just working on getting Abraham to complete with his commitments and come to church, but other than that, the whole family has such great testimonies. Even Elder Stroud said, "Dude, I was talking to Lilia the other day and she's so prepared. Her testimony is so strong man!" We are super excited for them and their progress.
Later this week when me and my companion were running in the morning, there's this black devil dog on the side of the road where we always run in the morning and walk every day. Normally it barks at me, I jump at it and it gets scared. Or it'll run at me and I throw a rock at it. Yep, not this time. He was coming full bore at me! So I straight kicked it in the side! It was super sketchy! But yeah, that's about the closest I've ever gotten. It was pretty nuts!
On Wednesday, I think it was, we had a noche de hogar (family night) with Manuel and Melissa. We talked about the Family Proclamation to the world. After we talked, I started talking about how greatful I was for my parents and their examples for me and that without their examples, I wouldn't have been here with them. Manuel after was just like, "Wow. Thank you." It was super awesome and the spirit was super strong.. I almost cried. It was really great!
The next day we taught Diana and Jorge. After the lesson she was like, "I just know everything happens for a reason. You two are here for a reason and I may not know what that reason is, but I know God does and that He sent you two here to help guide me." I was like... "YUP!!!" I almost cried there too haha. They are so awesome!
Also during this week I've had a few small problems with my companion - just small disagreements and what not, but I'm good now. It's hard sometimes to work with him, mostly because I can't express fully what I want to say and he doesn't understand what I'm trying to get at... but I'm getting better and the language is slowly.. slowly improving. Sometimes, because we don't talk too much in the street walking. I get a little trunky or start getting bored walking and thinking about weird stuff, like I think I figured out my kid's names.. Yeah, I know, pretty weird. It's just hard sometimes to not get bored like that in the streets when we're not talking at all haha, but I'm all good, don't worry!
Earlier this week, I think on like Friday, we moved the benches that we brought to the wedding back to the church. There was a bunch and we were sitting on top of them in the trailer attached to a motorcycle... also super dangerous. And the cops drove past us in an intersection! We were freaking out but the cops just kept driving.. like they didn't see anything.. hahaha the cops don't do anything here. It's pretty funny!
The church benches stacked back and forth on the trailer, with us on top.
On New Year's Eve, I got woken up at 12 and it sounded like World War 3 was going on with all the fireworks! It was nuts! The next day everyone went to the playa..(beach), I mean everyone. Nobody was in Chao. The only people were all the drunk guys and then Casto (el fiel - the faithful), Viviana and Gianfranco, Flor and Presi and Lilia and Abraham.. By the way, just some back knowledge, Lilia is related to Viviana.
When we were walking around on New Year's Day it was super funny because we would walk past a bar and like 5 guys would be passed out on the tables drunk. We saw a bar fight too... pretty crazy haha. A drunk guy tried to come in the church this week too. It was pretty funny! We were also able to teach a short good lesson with Lilia, Abraham and Viviana and Gianfranco and their families for like 2 hours and visited with them because literally, Chao was emptry! It was nuts.
This guy was passed out drunk on the streets on New Year's Day.
Sometimes, it's a lot different here, hot.. really hot.. especially in the night when I want to sleep, but man.. I'm only going to get this opportunity once. I'm only going to enjoy this once and it's where I've been called and it's my calling to love the people and where I'm at! I love you guys so much. Even looking back on this past year this week, the year has just FLOWN by! Especially now. I mean today I have 5 months in the mission already. Pretty crazy! I'm trying to enjoy every moment I get! Thanks for your guys´s love and support!
Anyway, so time is super short and almost out! But I'm doing good and super excited for this new year! Ya fue 2016!! (2016 was already!!) But I love you all. Thank you so much for your prayers and love and support for me!
Love you all!! Besitos!! (Little kisses!!)
Me and my companion, Elder Alarcon.
Walking the streets of Chao.
For New year's Eve they make these fake men out of straw, dress them up, tie them down and then blow them up at midnight! It was awesome. The shirt basically says, "Goodbye to the old year 2016."
The is a brand of plastic spoons. Pretty weird to see a swear word from your country as a name for spoons!!
