December 15th, 2008 - Monday

I know it it is early...but this will be my last email for a while till christmas or after I don´t know. Because our pday is on Christmas. To begin with I want to say a huge thank you for the two envelopes and package I got. In the envelopes I got the batteries I asked for and the medicine and other things and in the other envelope I got candy, emails, and quotes. In the package I got the christmas decorations which I love soooo much. Thanks.. I set them up today and took pictures. I sure wish I could send you pictures but I can only make cds in montevideo and I go there very rarely so I can send my memory card if you want and we can just mail swap if you want. I am sending you some christmas cards from the ashby´s for you all. She gave us five each so am sending 4 home. I wish I could send you all something for Christmas. Anyways, On christmas the president has asked for you to call us. So there is a five hour difference me and my comp decided that her folks would call her at 7 your time. So could you call me at 9 am your time 2pm my time. So 9 your time, would be perfect. I get a 90 minute phone call and I am so excited. Could you thank Uncle Jay, the Cooks, and grandma and grandpa bell for the christmas money. So this is how money works. Not a lot of places use credit cards so I do whenever I can I used it for the first time to buy shoes to help my feet heal so if you could check my account. We each have a church credit card and money put on each month and then we take it all out at the beginning of the month and it only works at certain banks. But whenever I go to montevideo I can take money out of my debit card and I´ll keep trying to find places to be able to take it off. But I have a lot of money for a while I changed all my dollars to pesos today. I don´t have to pay customs boxes the assitants bring them to all the zone conferences and interviews. There is no local address to send them to. But thanks again for the the boxes and envelopes and emails from dad, mom, nikki, and kim. Well, so there were a lot of up and downs this week, It sounds like it is going to be this way for the next 16 months. But on monday and tuesday it rained and poured and it rains so hard here and so I wore my raincoat and rainboots. It was funny. But it was nice it was cool. On monday we started house hunting for a senior missionary couple coming to our area to help our branch and we met them saturday and showed them all the options and they took us out to lunch. It was an awesome morning. And they were so kind, they were both told I was homesick so they tried very hard to give me lots of words of encouragement, We found a house close to ours and they were just exciting to talk to. They made my saturday. On Tuesday we went to a marriage farewell. It was neat and interesting. They have a party at the church and they had a devotional by a recently married couple and then the family bore testimony and gave advice to the couple and we sang hymns and then they brought out a lot of good food really good food. Then on wednesday we I had my first district mtg. all in spanish and they even asked me some questions in spanish and I was kind of frustrated at that and they extended our working hours to ten at night . Then on thursday I don´t know I just worked and it was a really cool breezy day and it was a great day. Then I don´t know what happened I woke up friday and I just didn´t want to be here. And I was sad all morning and then we rode to montevideo to have a christmas program at the presidents house. My comp made me talk to her and I started crying because she has been telling me a lot of stories about how hard the mission is and the many many trials she´s had like her grandfather dying and I just didn´t see any light at the end of the tunnel. She helped me a little but I slept the rest of the way and then we went to the Ashby´s and it was so neat they fed sloppy joes and chips and salad and we read the christmas story and sang and they gave us some nice presents and the testimony´s you wrote which were so nice thank you. President talked to me right before I left and it helped me and then I read your emails today and I know I need to enjoy it here. And just because it is hard I need to enjoy and learn to love it. On sunday we went to church and I like to church even though I can´t understand it, the organ is broken so I haven´t played yet but I understood a little about the topics and the members are so kind and they really love us. They want to feed us everyday and we got multiple invitations for christmas eve I felt bad. So nice. That night we watched the christmas devotional in spanish and it was neat because a really inactive lady we visit came and I still felt the spirit and I still understood the mormon tabernacle choir. It was neat.
I hope you all have a great week and a half before christmas. Thanks for the prayers and love and if I forgot anything I am sorry I can tell you christmas. Oh my comps family wants to talk to you and so I gave her your address and number so they will probably call. They live in provo. I am glad all is well. Thanks again for everything. Merry Christmas!!! TE AMO!! I LOVE YOU!