Hola Familia

Hey, hows it going everyone? We are doing well here. Things are about to get a little crazy here in these next couple weeks. We have cambios this next week and then we have Christmas. They told us that we probably won't be able to contact in the streets during that time because there will be so many people drinking but we will get to visit investigators and families. I have come to the conclusion that all holidays in Peru only serve the purpose of drinking and not having to work. I remember Halloween, Day of the Dead and Day of the Living week in Huancayo there were drunk people passed out in the streets all over the place. I'm sure it will be the same here with Christmas and New Years.

In Huanuco they have a sort of celebration that happens every year beginning on the 26th of December. They call it the time of the negritos (or little black people). I know it has some sort of historical significance but basically what happens is that all of Huanuco dresses up in really fancy costumes and they all dance in the streets. They dance all day and night and they only stop to eat and get drunk. Nobody works and from what I understand the dancing goes on for about a week but the celebration carries on for a month. It's not an all of Peru thing its only here in Huanuco. I think it will be cool for about a day and then it will get really old. I wonder if it will make the work harder.

We were served this soup this week that tasted like dirt. We asked our pensionista what it was and she said that it was vegetable soup. It had weird worm looking things in it but we just ate it and found out later that it was cow intestine. Honestly I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. It was pretty gross. Plus I have been teaching people outside when they have cleaned those things. It takes a really long time to clean them, like half an hour or so. Nasty. 

Decorating for Christmas

So this week we went to visit one of our investigators almost everyday and we could never find him. He lives in a basement bar so we always just wait upstairs and knock. He is fifteen years old and recently lost his mother and moved here to live with his aunt. His aunt is a member and actually the bar in which he lives is owned by his cousin that is a returned missionary. He hates the place he lives and he escapes a lot. The one day we were able to find him he came out and told us that some drug lords came and got angry and they are scared that they are going to come back and cause some trouble. We might not be able to go back there for awhile which makes us sad because he is really great and is progressing so well. 

One of my investigators houses. We were bored waiting for her so I took a picture. Lots of houses here are made out of dirt like this. I'm not really sure how they stay up through all the rain.

I have been studying and learning a lot about love and charity this week. I have always thought as a missionary that teaching about God and his love is the hardest lesson to teach. Yea you can say that you are his child and he loves you but sometimes those are just words. I can share scriptures but those are just words too. The spirit can teach them but only if they let it. I wish I could just trade brains with them for a minute and let them feel how I feel it but I know that isn't possible. I have learned that the laws and love of God really do compliment each other and that we can find his love in everything that he created for us and every trial that we have. I have great love for my Father in Heaven.

Have a great week. 

Hermana Rhoten