Feliz Navidad

ISABEL'S LETTER


Good Morning
please oh please can we try to three way call i have also been thinking about getting an extra memory card and recording a little something and sending you video and chris video that he can watch on his camera. just a thought my comp thinks is pretty brilliant and i agree ha ha. thank you for writing me. i didnt know jen got surgery on her knee. i hope she is well. i took all the 100 out. thanks again. janna is so sweet send her oreos and a really pretty hair band she has been teased alot in her life especially by her mom and i would always put them on her and tell her she was beautiful and she was so self conscious at first and then slowly she started to own it. she has a wedding to go to when she gets off her mission in February and needs to accessorise. i love her and miss her so much please keep in touch with her she needs your love. also having served in sanjose cali i was able to send them some christmas cards well to my old investigators and guess what one of them is getting baptized january 15 and its such a joy i love them never did i think that i was capable of loving so many people. but the families here in bolivia all of them have been faltering and being sick this last week and still feeling weak this week has done a number on my self esteem as a missionary. as a missionary you learn more how to read a face. for example people open the door and the first reaction as they see you is disapointment or a huge smile and you have to not react to their emotions but be joyful always its kinda hard sometimes but rewarding when they see you on the street and they are so genuinely happy to see you. and unfortunatly some people this week have been asking is jose smith is a prophet of God and recieving bad dreams as an answer and other have given us notes that they dont want to see us anymore. two where lying to their parents saying they were going with us to church and really they were going drinking. one says she isnt reading the book of mormon because she doesnt understand it. so all that starts adding up ya know. and its not just our companionship the whole zone is seeing this happening in their zone. right now we have viegita (old lady) antonia who doesnt read is 75 years old and understands what the book of mormon is and who jose smith was and why she needs to be baptized. we have jessica who is 15 and really wants to be baptized and has been reading the book of mormon when she gets done with her chores she is so sweet and ready she even had a dream where she was reading the bookd of mormon and she says i felt so happy we asked her so what should you do now? she said with a smile get baptized! heres the prob her parents dont let her go to church on sunday because they put her to work those days. :( i so wanted to send you pics but i fotgot my usb. sorry i will. last night we went to a plaza to sing christmas carols and hymns and contact like crazy it was great you could really feel the christmas spirit. there was this old lady who began to sing. i dont know why but i am such a softy for old people and her broken singing voice singing about her savior filled me with love and joy. the lord did that for me i have been a bit down. and he just wants me to know i am loved and to hang in there. i love the mission field. please do write to your family janice with your testimony its a great time of year to do so. well i love you all call me at 4 i will be waiting. papi mami joeson gina jonathan llamenme a las 2 de las tarde el 25. los amo a todos
ps: traditions have to be baking you and my family bake so baking for christmas should be a tradition of the hill florido family also i am learing to sing better.
 
Feliz Navidad

CHRIS' LETTER

Hola mis padres,

Entonces!  So changes are this week and my companion was called to be
the assistant to the president!  Whoa! As he should be.  I think that he can
do it 100%.  Also, my new companion is named Elder Giron (Hee-ron!) and
is from Guatemala.  I´m staying in Monterrey for 6 weeks more at least.
I´m really, really excited for this change.  We should be having Baptisms
this week or the next and a lot in January.  Peope here work a lot (even Sunday)
here.  

And I was going to send you photos but this computer hates my camera and
doesn´t read anything when I plug it in.  I wish I could send them (and I wish
that I could see photos de Isabel - I miss her).  But all is well.  I´ll figure something
out and maybe the reader will work succesfully.

The last week has kind of been chaotic. We didn´t get as much done this week
as usual.  One of the Elders here is leaving to El Salvador, Elder Cena, which
translates as Elder Dinner.  Haha!  He´s the best and one of my favorite people
that I´ve ever met. We´re going to throw eggs at him today!  :)  

So, a tradition they have here is putting effigies in the street and begging for 
money this time of year.  They call it donating to the ancestors or something.
(Done por los ancianzos muertes o algo).  So.. I´m going to tell you 3 scary
things and 1 very exciting thing: (are you ready?  si?  Esta bien. Vamos.) 

1) During the week of Easter, it´s called Semana Santa, Holy Week, and during
Holy Week, people voluntarily crucify themselves.  Nails and all. I´m not joking.

2) People here like fireworks a lot because it gives them comort (I think) from
the discharge of a firearm breaking sound barriers... I can´t differentiate during
the night if people are celebrating or dying.  Haha.  Which is funny, and... you
know, scary.

3) Sometimes you find couples, se llama parejas, who aren´t married, right?
And that happens in the states, but here you find 80 year old men still having
children with 40 year old women.  THEY WERE FORTY WHEN THESE WOMEN
BORN!!!!  haha.  It´s ugly, but it´s happening.

* * *

Okay, so that is that.  The really good thing.
15 of January, Russel M. Nelson the Apostle is coming to speak to us and divide
my stake.  Wow.  

The cool thing on the side of that, is that my companion is probably going to be
driving him around town... Maybe.  

I haven´t received packages, but I love you and miss you.  Merry Christmas!


I can't wait to talk to them on Saturday!!! Felix Navidad!!!