Hey guys! Everything is going well.

Concepcion is super cold. And getting colder. Sometimes I can see my breath in our room because we don't have heating. If you were to see us in our study time you would all probably laugh at us because we have all the clothes on that we own almost to keep warm. We have been sleeping in our coats at night all bundled up. 

Pacha manca. They always feed this to us every Sunday here. It's good but we always get sick off of it when they just cook it on rocks in the dirt. I'm sure I have a bunch of dirt hanging out in my stomach right now.

This is what it looks like before we take it all apart.

Taking it apart. It's just right next to the rocks.

I was realizing the other day that I haven't really told you much about my companion Hermana Fitzpatrick. She is really great and we are best buds. I think she must be the most sarcastic person I have ever met. We are learning a lot from the scriptures and our Spanish is getting a lot better this cambio. Sometimes I bug her by singing Christmas songs. She always tells me that its not even close to Christmas. It's not my fault really. Peruvians have the Christmas spirit all year round. For example the table that we eat at everyday at the pensions has a giant Santa Claus on the wall next to the table and yesterday we were served drinks in Christmas mugs. Plus it's so cold. It might as well be Christmas.

Milena's little girl named Bianca. She is so cute. I love Peruvian children.

Crazy things from this week: So we saw a lady acting like a dog walking around on all fours this week, she even jumped onto a combi on all four legs and then sat down like a human. So weird.

We had a appointment fall through so we were contacting and saw some ladies pealing dry corn. Not sure how to explain that. But we ended up just sitting down in the dirt and helping them. I learned all about corn harvest and drying corn to use to make canchitas. We are so planting corn next year in the garden! It will help with my bucket list goal to learn to make tamales too. :) 

Yesterday we traveled into Huancayo for a stake conference. It was so good and we had a member of the seventy come and speak as well. We were excited that we had an investigator willing to come all that way with us, he was even ready in time and all dressed up in a suit. When we got close enough to see the church (we have to walk a few blocks from where the combi drops us) he commented on how big it was. When we got inside and he saw how many people there were he was so surprized and said it feels like all of Huancayo is here. It was just so funny to see his reaction because all he had ever seen was the casa capilla that's just so little. Even though he knew the church was worldwide, seeing the stake center really opened up his eyes to see how big the church really is. 

I also saw a bunch of people from my old ward in Camino Real at the stake conference and got some of the craziest hugs ever. This little old lady who used to accompany us a lot almost tackled me when she saw me. I saw several converts, members and even old investigators that we had taught. I don't remember if you would remember little Pamela, her and her friend Carolina with her family were there. So cool.  It is so cool to see the progress of an area that you helped open. Also David and Americas family have their sealing date! They are going to the temple August 26 to be sealed as a family for time and all eternity. The most beautiful news ever. I love them. 

The member of the seventy that spoke yesterday gave such a powerful talk and a message that touched me deeply. He spoke about our temperatures in the gospel based off the scripture found it Revelation 3:15&16. We can either be hot, warm or cold. In these verses it is taught that it would be better to be hot or cold than to be warm in our testimonies. Our temperature shouldn't change on the circumstances that we are in. He shared the story of the young mother who only had a tiny bit of flour and oil for her family but gave it to the prophet of the Lord who came to her home anyways and was willing to let her family starve to death. Her testimony was boiling hot and she was greatly blessed for it. When we act in faith we receive these blessings. He asked us at what temperature were we in things like scripture reading and the way we treat other people and asked us to ponder on how we can not only have warm faith and testimony but be hot. What are each of your temperatures? 

I love you guys and hope you have a great week! 

Love,

Hermana Rhoten 1