A White Christmas! Almost

Hola everyone!

Ok so the week was crazy and awesome, like always it seems. 

I still can't send pictures though so there will be a large quantity next week. So first off, Feliz Navidad! I guess in most hispanic cultures (at least with all the people I've talked to out here) Christmas is basically just celebrated on Christmas Eve so we went to a family's house that night and helped them make a whole lot of tamales and then we went to a different family's house and ate a whole lot of tamales and hit a giant pinata and drank this really delicious hot fruit punch stuff with sugar cane, and various and assorted fruits in it. I'm getting the recipe. It was so delicious. 

We didn't have time Christmas morning so Hermana Gonnuscio and I did a whole bunch of Christmas festivities when we got back to our apartment that night and it was so fun! Noche bueno is definitely going to be a tradition from now on. 

Then Christmas we had a big zone training so all of the missionaries serving here in Las Cruces got together and talked about Christmas and shared our testimonies about what Christ means for us personally and it was one of the most incredible and spiritual experiences. I can't think of a better way to spend Christmas than of teaching and testifying of Christ. And then after the meeting some senor couple missionaries had prepared a big Christmas lunch for us so I got funeral potatoes and ham! Which I was going to miss so much because we really only get tamales out here for Christmas. Which are also delicious though. 

But so then after we went to this sweet member's house to Skype our families! It was so weird actually being able to see and talk to everyone but it was so fun! So then we wake up the next morning and it's super cloudy so we figure it's going to rain and dress accordingly when we suddenly start getting texts form the missionaries further north that it's snowing! After a little bit it made it's way down south and I missed my first white christmas by like 12 hours but hey, a white after christmas is pretty cool too.

That was the most snow I have ever seen, we got at least 8 inches! It was so much fun and we had a meeting with our elders that cover the north half of spanish ward and our ward mission leader that night so naturally we had 2 giant snowball fights. But then I had to drive in all that snow since I'm the senior companion which was interesting but I learned really fast! 

Nothing else too crazy has happened though. All of our investigators and members are still on vacation in Mexico so I can't wait for January when we can really start finding and teaching again! So this was the strangest, but I think my favorite Christmas so far. I wasn't able to do really any of my normal traditions, but I got to really focus on the true meaning of this season. I got to help others feel and understand the joy and peace that our Savior brings to each and every one of our lives and truly declare glad tidings of great joy. I still can't even believe that I'm lucky enough to have this opportunity to spend a small year and a half of my life in full, dedicated service and that I get to feel this joy every single day. I hope all of you had a very merry Christmas as well and stay safe this New Years!

Hermana Martin