Pig Food and Funerals

Hola Familia!!

                Well calling you was the best!! It just makes me so

happy to see you all so happy!

Just want to say a quick congrats to Mike Russell!  And also mention

that Yes mom I read my scriptures in Spanish. J  I kind of love it

because they use different words sometimes and you can take out a

different meaning from the scriptures or at least increase your

knowledge of what a phrase means.

I don’t have much to say this morning, but it’s been a crazy week in Abancay.

Tuesday we visited a Hermana whose name is Carlota.  She was busy

making pig food so we just chatted with her while she worked.  First

off, I now know why we don’t eat pigs here and I am very grateful for

it.  You guys don’t even want to know what is in the pig food but I

sent a picture and I am sure your imagination might come close. J  We

also caught some guinea pigs and took some pictures.   The women here

are so amazing!  They just do what they have to do to live!  They haul

buckets of pig food up a huge mountain or they kill their lamb to feed

their family at their husbands funeral.  It’s just crazy but also

really inspiring.  Not that I ever want to kill a lamb, but they just

work so hard and they still are happy.

For Mother’s day we made Rene a cake out of chocolate bars.  Saturday

night we had to steal her electric mixer and her food dye to make

frosting.  But it turned out really cute and she was happy.   We made

a card for her and Hermana Sandberg, and I even shared some of my

American chocolate with Hermana sandberg J They are close to finishing

their mission and she hadn’t seen a reese’s in awhile!  It was fun to

give them to her.  We also found a lady that makes decorations and she

made signs that said “Feliz Dia Mama!” With their names on them.  So

it was fun! Haha but literally no one came to church so we just hung

out with the primary.

Anways we had a Hermano pass away in our ward.  He was just the

sweetest old man and always was on time for church.  He was so

faithful and always paid his tithing.  He lived with his wife in a

very humble home, but they were so happy together.  We visited them

last week and I’ll always remember him waving out the window with the

biggest smile on his face.   They do funeral’s a little different here

and it makes me grateful for the system we have in the states.   One

thing that kind of shocked me was that when we got there, his body was

still in bed and he stayed there for 13 hours till they waited for the

coffin to arrive.  While we waited we helped peal lots of potatoes to

make soup for everyone.  We had sort of a viewing there at the house.

The people who brought the coffin also brought a giant cross and a

alter where you could kneel and pray and candles.  It  was a little

different….okay a lot different.  Saturday Hermana Modesta killed her

lamb to feed more people.  That was just crazy to watch!  I couldn’t

believe she was killing an animal with her husband right inside!  But

watching all this gave me a little more meaning behind  “Like a lamb

to the slaughter”…

Sunday they buried them in the Cemetery.  We went to that too and wow

It’s so different then in the states.  They have lots of little

buildings and just buildings with slots where you can slide in the

coffin.  It’s so different here.  It kind of reminded me of Phantom of

the Opera… haha

Anyways sorry I don’t have much to write this week or anything funny.

J  It was great to talk to you guys and I just want you to know that I

know this Gospel is true!  I am so grateful to be a missionary and I

know that real happiness comes from living the Gospel and loving God.

You don’t need much to be happy.  I have met people who live in the

most humble of circumstances and they are happier than anyone I have

ever met.  I hope we can find this true happiness in our lives and

then have the courage to share it with others.

Love you guys!

Hermana Russell

Lamb's tail.  ):

Mr. guinea pig

How could you eat him?

Too close for comfort!

and pig food!