Feliz Navidad

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

   I can't believe it’s another week and I can't believe its Christmas

(almost)! I am super excited to see my family (: I will be calling

around 2 here in Peru so I believe that is like 12 for you guys. I hope

that works well and doesn't cause you all too much stress on

Christmas!! Well I saw a couple of the emails.  And I just want to say

congrats to the Flinders!! I am so excited  for you guys!! I will be

praying for you guys and I am with Abby,  I want another Flinder Girl!!

(: that is just the best news ever.  Well for responses from last

E mail.

  Abancay is probably one of the easier ones to pronounce so good luck

when I go to a new sector! Hahah You gringos are probably hilarious. I

still sound like a gringa and probably always will so join the club.

 Amee, you should hear and see our sacrament meetings.  I am sure

that Palmer and Ryder have nothing on the two years olds that run

around the pulpit and run in out of the room.  Coming from a singles

ward it’s a little different for me.

  Well I am proud of my family and your amazing stalking skills. Yes

you found my chapel on Ave. Nunez. Now for my house,  if you keep following

that road up you will run into the Plaza de Tamburco.  I live next to

there.  If you go one street over from Nunez moving away from the

Plaza that is my street.  We live next to a huge white shed at the top

of the hill. Our pension lives at the bottom and hopefully by the end

of this year we will move into their third floor room they are

building for us.

  Mom, yes it rains everyday but it’s a very soft rain, and usually

refreshing.  It’s a lot like mountain weather, when the sun is out it’s

really warm but at night it gets pretty chilly,  like jacket weather

is all.  I don't think it would be so hot if we weren't climbing and

hiking all day.  Abancay is one of the sectors in my mission that has

the best weather. So it literally will only get worse from here.  My

companion teases me that I am headed to the jungle next and I

seriously believe her! I will have to enjoy Abancay while it lasts.

It really is beautiful here.

  Soph: Patriarchal blessings are the best!! Congrats on the rest of

your life because I am sure it is going to be wonderful!  Always read

your blessing, it puts everything in an eternal perpesctive and

definitely helps me while I am out here.  Word of Advice: read it a

lot and follow the counsel.  It will be a great source of strength in

your life.  I wish I had read mine a little more often.

 Hannah! thanks for mentioning your trip to the Cheese Cake Factory.

Honestly, I could really go for a hamburger and fries from anywhere!

haha Lots of rice and potatoes here. Also I laughed at your nursery

story.  Hna Holland taught a primary class in her old sector which was

basically a two hour nursery where she was the only teacher.  Imagine

doing that in a foreign language....haha Yeah two kids you got this!

Soph: I want Falcons are fabulous pictures and the scoop!! It’s always

the best week!

Mom: It’s your needy child again, I am going to need more tights and

itch cream.  Tights are dog proof so my tights already look like they

are 80 years old. But yes I am wearing them every day because the

mosquitos are just awful here. I think this is the first Christmas

where I will have mosquito bites, a tan, and where I have eaten

watermelon almost everyday.  Sometimes Hna Holland starts singing, Its

beginning to look a lot like Christmas, and we just laugh and laugh.

We are so funny!

 Okay so for my week! It was pretty great! Last Monday we went to

MIrador with Hermana Rene and her kids.  It’s a beautiful park way up on

the hill.  It’s kinda an unsupervised zoo as well.  I am sending

pictures to drop box.  Don't judge, fashion sense tends to be the last

thing on your mind.  It was like the perfect day and that family is

just the best! Sebastian and Diane! Hilarious kids.

Also this week we helped make hot chocolate for a primary activity.

We boiled this huge pot of water, and guess how we boiled it.  We

started a legit fire in a members house.  Like the whole works right

in her house.  We set up some cinder blocks, put the pot on them and

tha’ts how you do it in Peru.  Crazy right? Her whole wall in her house

is black from doing that often. Next to this fire was a small guniea

pig farm! My first sighting!! She has probably over 50 and they were

all so fat!  I just kept thinking of the Tice's pet Charlotte.  Haha I

haven't tried it yet but all the missionaries say they really love it.

  It will be interesting for sure!

  One last story, well maybe two.  There are a lot of dogs here.  Like

alot.  And our pension Rene has a dog named Shadow.  He is a nice dog

but seriously lacks a brain.  One night this week after dinner ( which

is like a midnight snack here, they have huge lunches and tiny tiny

tiny dinners, I have actually grown to like it a lot!) anyhoo we start

walking back up our Mount Everest and Shadow decides to follow us.  My

first thought is "oh that will be nice to have some protection" but as

we countinued up our hill we entered our neighborhood. Here the dogs

are very territorial and Shadow isn't a street dog so he has no

experience, But as Shadow entered our neighborhood, dogs come out of

the wood work and they are surrounding us and barking and growling.

HOly cow it was so scary.  We weren't even tired from walking because

of the adrenline.  Shadow keeps moving behind our legs for protection

and we are yelling at him to leave but he just keeps following us and

we are so terrifed! It was seriously the scariest!  Stupid Shadow!

But we made it safely to our room but poor shadow had to go back home.

We heard a lot of barking but luckily Shadow made it back.  He really

is the dumbest dog and a big scaredy cat! haha  Also this week I got

bit by a dog.  It was pretty exciting, but I guess it was bound to

happen!  Don't worry, it didn't break skin or anything so no rabies

for me!

   Anways,  I’ts been a really great week. I am loving it although the

language is probably the hardest.  It’s getting better but sometimes I

feel like it’s getting worst.  Hna Holland is a big help and very

supportive.   Thanks for all the support and  love.  I really do have

the best family ever! I love Christmas because it’s a time to reflect

on the Savior and all He did for us.  I hope you have seen the video

He is the Gift. What a great video!  Our Heavenly father loves us

beyond our comprehension.  I hope that this Christmas we can embrace

and accept our Savior.

   I can't wait to see you guys soon(: Love you all!

    Hermana Russell (: