It's beginning to look a lot like christmas.‏

Hola familia. So I feel like I just wrote you on Thursday. That's probably because I did so I don't feel like I have much to write you. But I will still write a little bit about how things are going. 

I sent a ton of photos on Thursday so now I don't have too many. This is us making french fries for dinner. All of their potatoes are so huge. I was sunburned in this picture.

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in Huanuco. Not really because its still 100 degrees outside but people are starting to decorate for Christmas and we are starting to see Christmasy things in the little tiendas. My pensionista is going to put up her tree today and I think that we might get to help her. Christmas here is the season of fruitcake. These people love their fruitcake. The tiendas have pyramids of fruitcake and everyone is starting to buy it to share it with those they love. We have been offered it several times already and its only the beginning of the month. So happy fruitcake season to you all!

This is near the plaza in Huanuco.

So I love the Peruvian people but I have to say that Peruvians really can't sing. I don't think I have been in a single sacrament meeting where the music wasn't all over the place. It's so awful and sometimes so funny. Yesterday we sang angels we have heard on high as the closing song in sacrament meeting. Yea that's the one that goes G-L-O-R-I-A......It was so very off key and so very funny. There is also this church across the street from our house that sings all day and night. I don't really know when they sleep but it's like there is a constant 24 hour karaoke there where they sing praise to the Lord songs and drink. We passed by there and heard a Christmas song so that means that Christmas must be coming. 

Mosquito bites are getting better.

My companion and I are still getting along great. It is so different to have a companion that is from your same country. I just feel like we have so much more in common than I did with my Latin companions. I love that we have a secret language. If something is going on we can just say something in English and know that no one understands what we said. It makes missionary work so much funnier. Some funny things we have said, "Did you catch that? I think he just said something about how his wife just died. But then who is that lady?" "Hermana remember we don't contact drunk people? Are you sure he is drunk? Yes, I'm sure.""Why cant the bishop ever remember my name?!" "I think she is making us more food. We need to start thinking of an excuse to not eat it, I'm so full " It's fun to be able to understand each other.

This week we also met an atheist! It was the first person that didn't believe in God in Peru that I had ever met. Crazy. And we taught a lesson to a communist. That was kind of interesting to. Well we still invited him to read the Book of Mormon and he said we could come back so we will see what happens. 

We are teaching lots of youth right now. I have really been excited by the youth here in our ward and their attitude towards missionary work. There are so many young people who are such wonderful examples to their families. They come to church alone, teach others and bring friends. One of these youth that we are teaching is named Shayla. She is ten and has been coming to church alone for about two months. Her dad is in jail and her mom isn't supportive of her at all. We have become really great friends and before she wanted to wait a year until her dad gets out of jail to be baptized but recently decided that she wants to be baptized sooner. We are just hoping that we can get permission so that we can be here. We are teaching another family where the two kids were baptized and now the mother and father have started to come to church because of the change they have seen in their children. Youth have so much more power than they think to change the lives of their families for the better. 

Have a great week everyone!

Love 

Hermana Rhoten