Happy New Year!

Hey everyone! Happy New Year! That's great that you guys had a great Christmas and I'm glad to hear that everyone is safe and happy. Did anyone get any awesome presents? Thanks everyone for the presents you´ve sent they are all great and in one piece!! haha Christmas was completely different this year. It was really hot and humid and there were mosquitos!!!! ha I had to spend Christmas Eve with another companionship in our room and I had to share my little bed with another elder. In Peru they have their Christmas dinner at midnight and then after they open their presents and stay up until around 3:00 to 6:00 am. Then the next day they just visit family members and hang out in the plaza, and if you´re not a member you drink, a lot!!! Everyone was drunk in the streets and everyone sets off fireworks until about 2:30 in the morning.

 Christmas Day I woke up and got to call my family. It was the best gift I've ever received to do that, and after we went to Pacasmayo and played soccer until 1:30. After soccer we had our Christmas lunch and watched movies, How to Train Your Dragon and Madagascar. After that we went back to our rooms and all the natives called their parents and we just chilled in our rooms until we went to bed. For Christmas dinner here they have turkey, which is really expensive for them to buy and tamales, paneton, bread and chocolatada or hot chocolate with real chocolate. Overall my Christmas was really fun.

 Does anyone have any fun plans for New Years? I don't think we do anything for New Years because i'ts dangerous to be outside. We have to be in our rooms by 6:00 pm I think.

That's crazy that in another 3 weeks or so that my mission will be 1/4 the way over. It's going by way too fast and I hope I'm doing what I'm supposed to because I still feel like I don't know spanish or how to teach yet, haha.

 For service projects here all we´ve done so far is help shovel dirt into someone's house one time, one time we did patch work on cement walls to prep the walls for painting and the other time I helped the pensionista in Pacasmayo cut out Christmas ornaments that she sewed for her friends and family. Overall I was able to have a really great Christmas because I had the chance to learn more about the Savior's birth and the blessings that we have in our lives because of his love and atonement. We truly should remember every day of the year the things he has done for us, but in these moments of the holidays we are able to strengthen our testimonies of this and make it our priority. I don't have my scrips with me but I think it is 3 Nephi 13:30-33 or something that says we shouldn't worry about worldy things and should put the Lord first. I know this is true and that we should do this during the holidays.
 I love you guys and hope you have fun this week,

love TY