SANTA VACA!!! (translation - Holy Cow!)

I can't even explain this week!!! hahaha it was so amazing and I have so many things to say!!! WE HAD A BAPTISM!!! And our leaders who have been yelling at us for not having success, all their baptisms fell through because ellos son mentiras!!!!! but I was so happy!!! At our Christmas event though we had 16 baptisms fall through and only 6, 3 from the hermanas, one from us, and one from two other groups of missionaries so I felt really good!

I got spoiled from my family and my companions mom on Christmas and it was so good to Facetime my family!!!! :) Also I don`t know how but we received a tender mercy and our shower was mysteriously warm on Christmas!!!! Really cool present from God!!!

Christmas eve I ate at 5 families back to back to back to back to back...and at the last dinner, we couldn't even take a bite. We took home so much food but I'm not gonna lie we gave most of it away or threw it along the side of the road. I still feel full from it! Tasted natural chocolate from a big seed and we also have started running, me and my comp. Bought Cherry Coke and Doctor Pepper and we drank that on our hammock for Christmas!!!

I have so many pictures from this week but follow my moms blog to see them!!! Christmas here is different!! It is just like new years! Everybody does fireworks and everybody stays up so late!! Way different then the states! But presents really aren't a thing here! Also missionaries are the ultimate party crashers :P Especially when people are drinking haha. People just leave and end the party when we come. But we had tons of drunk people offer us coke and we tried to refuse but they wouldn't let us. We had to carry so much coke because they would yell at the tienda lady to give us more coke hahaha! Crazy drunk people...lol.

Also last Monday we played basketball!!! And not only that!! Basketball and the rims had nets and our background was palm trees and volcanoes!!! Don't think you can play basketball in a cooler area than that! Playing soccer at a stadium today!!! But also Saturday I had a sweet suprise...hahaha took another gringo out teaching with me that I think I recognize from somewhere :P It was really fun!!!!

But with our baptism there was such a change in him after his baptism. Sometimes as a missionary we just see a baptism, and it's just an act. Maybe we don't feel different after but the person who is baptized definitely does. He wants to serve a mission now! So I hope in a year that I can go with him to the temple!!!

I love you all!!!! Hope everything is going well and you guys are the best!!! I`m sorry for your Presidential Canadates but good luck with that!!! This was such an amazing week!!!!! :)

CJ ?

This is our cook!

 Christmas Day

Baptism!!!

 Christmas Card Picture :) It`s not just a drunk guy, but a drunk guy with a Santa hat :)

Some more fun pictures from Elder Hallman's Mom~

Christmas Face-time!

Best Christmas gift was face-timing with Brandon - he looked and sounded fantastic!  He's enjoying his hammock, Coke (the only mission in Central America where it's okay for missionaries to drink Coke), the cooks who make him lunch and dinner daily, and lots of hard work.  Brandon said the time is flying by and he can't believe next month he'll be 1/4 of the way done.  His Spanish sounds great.  

His advice to the brothers was to be obedient.  There are things on the mission he wasn't sure about, but he smiles and says okey dokey.  Obedience is a top priority to Brandon.  He told them to make sure they have a testimony before leaving, that has truly given him strength especially during the first month when he said it was the toughest.  Lastly, to learn about the beliefs of other religions.  Brandon said it's nice to know about other religions so that common ground can be discussed.

Brandon's not fond of the wild dogs, but has learned how to deal with them and appreciates belts.  He doesn't like the "snakes" either.  Apparently those are girls who hit on the missionaries.  He's getting used to the hot weather, but misses hot showers.  He loves the people, loves his companion and loves the mission ~ we are truly blessed!

TENDER MERCY!!!

So today was a great week I feel like!!! We got a new district leader (Holy cow I'm so happy I can't even start) and had changes with Elder Ostler again which was really fun actually :) I bought a new backpack because the other one I bought is already ripped up and ruined, and also someone in my ward gave me this really awesome tie for Christmas! :) Just estoy engordando bastante and it's not even Christmas yet!

Just the bad news is my companion has been feeling a little sick all week, not bad sick and we have still been working so very hard, but if you guys could pray for him I would love that! And pray that we can watch out for snakes...cause wow...haha holy cow we need to be careful. But everything is going good!!!

Got a letter from Thomas S. Monson :) My companion came up with a cool quote that I liked... "You pay before you get your McDonalds" hahaha and I have liked that! So up till now, out mission has had 1,060 baptisms this year and we have about 100 for this Christmas...and I was thinking, I took part in 4 of those.  Yesterday we talked to this guy, "How are you looking for the 27th, are you ready to be baptized?" He was really unsure and didn't really want to be baptized and he said "No, I don't want to be baptized this 27th, I want to be baptized on the 25th with that stake "Blanca Navidad" that you guys are doing"..... AHHHHH!!!!!!! WE ARE SO HAPPY!!!!

Elder Hallman and I have been working so hard, unbelievably hard being so obedient and we really haven't been having outward success, but we just got blessed for our work and not giving up!!!! I am so happy and he has his interview today and he is really shy and nervous so please continue to pray for Eric.

Also have a sweet photo...hehehe but I don't have my cord so I will probably have to send it next week. I have so many photos to send haha. Have had some really amazing ice cream and pupusas, just wanted to throw that in! But I hope all is going well and I hope you guys have an AMAZING Christmas!!!! :)

P.S.
This week has flown by and next week will be even faster! It's crazy!!! I am having such a great time with Elder Hallman and I`m so glad you were able to talk to his mom!!! I love you mom!!!

Early Christmas Blessing

Brandon asked me to connect with his companion, Elder Hallman's Mom.  I had the blessing of talking to her tonight!  So excited to hear what an incredible young man Elder Hallman is and that Brandon has the privilege to serve with him.  They sound like two peas in a pod:)

Anita also sent some fun pictures of our cute boys that I haven't seen before.
YEA for more pictures and a new friend,
the mission blessings are truly countless!

water = feel so much better!!!

This week was really amazing!! Don't have a lot of time so sorry if I don't email you!!! I hope everything is going alright!!! I'm going to the beach today!!! I'll try and be fast so sorry if it's confusing and choppy!!!

Elder Hallman and I were eating dinner one day and Elder Hallman was about throwing up because he couldn't eat it (it was pretty gross) and so I decided to help him out! I distracted the lady and then he hid the food in his backpack and threw it away when we got home!! hahaha Also I drained a liter straight without stopping of water and I FEEL SO MUCH BETTER!!! I'm definitely only drinking water when I get back!!!

Today I had exchanges with another gringo and it was so fun!! Just their area is HUGE!!!! And it has so many hills and I was dying walking!!! hahaha but we ran and made french toast in the morning and it was so amazing!!!! Their area is so pretty and way richer!! haha Also made pupusas at the Cordova family and we showed them what were root beer floats (just with coke because they don`t have root beer here!! But it was so amazing!!!!!

When I came back our shower had no water, actually nothing had water except where we wash clothes it was like a little stream! So I went outside, filled up a bowl SLOWLY and kept dumping it on myself for a shower hahaha! But I loved it because the water was actually warm from that thing!!!!

Went to the temple for a nativity thing with investigators and less actives so that was cool!!! Just I stood up on the bus the whole way there but it was fun haha! And at our stake conference it was SO COLD!!!! I had to leave for a bit I was so cold!!!! But everything here is going good!! I`m eating so many pupusas with my new companion! I'm so sorry you guys didn't have them! But I love you all and thank you for all your support!! Take care guys!!!! Don't freeze :) Keep praying for Eric please!!!!

P.S.
Do you ever drive anywhere or do you walk everywhere? Anybody ride bikes? 
No No one rides bikes and I think they are taking bikes out of Belize in January so I am sad :( We ride lots of buses to get places when we leave our area but besides that we just walk. The AP's (assistants to the mission president) have cars though!!

THE TEMPLE HERE IS SO PRETTY!!!!!!

THE TEMPLE HERE IS SO PRETTY!!!!!! The prettiest temple that I have honestly ever been in!! And there is black snow everywhere!!! haha burnt sugar canes and it doesn't stop. It is still crazy hot here and those of you who want to change weathers PLEASE!! hahaha Take it!!!

But everything else is going good! We are working hard without lots of visual success but I feel really good about what we are doing!!! Just it made me so baggy after going to the temple because we went there, then went to Wendy's, where there was basketball on the TV, and then watched Parent trap on the way back (there is always a movie on the bus to San Salvador and back).

But if you guys could, please pray for Erick. He is really our only investigator who comes to church but he has lots of problems with commandments, but the people here are so nice and friendly and can talk forever, and I am definitely eating enough haha! I hope all is well there!!

And also yesterday I didn't know we were going to or it was on, but we were walking by our church and they had the Christmas Conference playing so we called and asked for permission and they said we could watch it, and that we should! AND THAT WAS AMAZING!!! and the music was unbelievably pretty!!!

But anyways, I hope all is well for you guys!!! Thank you for all the emails and support and hope you all have a great December!!! :) Don`t forget to wear a coat :)

P.S.
ALSO I GOT THE PACKAGE!!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH MOM HOLY COW YOU SPOIL ME LIKE CRAZY!!!! And thanks to Nick and Justin I have music and I am addicted to the bouncy ball!!! hahaha