Wow this week seemed to fly by. We spent a lot of the week getting ready for the giant activity we had as a district yesterday. But I will get to that later on. So as I have already told you guys, our living conditions as of right now are very poor haha. I don't know how my companion has been doing it for 6 months. So we decided it is time to start looking for a new room. We have been looking all week and on Saturday we found a few that look pretty nice. Well at least nicer than the one we are in haha. So we will be moving out.  I'm so happy I don't even know what to do haha.

Yesterday I and S came to church again. They have been progressing really well we just need to work on them getting married. They want to get married but they just have been saying that they want to be absolutely sure about the decision before they make it. In the lesson they were saying that and then I asked them what changes they have already seen in their lives and in their family and they talked about how much better things are. Then I  asked them if that was something they wanted to have for the rest of their lives and for forever and of course they said yes and then they started to understand better and are working on getting married. We had some really spiritual and great lessons this week. I love it.

This week we had our Christmas devotional in Piura with the other zones and it was awesome. I can't wait for Christmas. This Christmas is going to be a lot different and I honestly cant wait. This whole month has just been awesome for me and for us here in Talara. I feel like all growing up I loved Christmas because I didn't have to go to school and because I got lots of presents and didn't really have to do anything but I don't think I ever really understood what Christmas is all about. Now I'm  finally starting to understand it and I love it.There is no place in the entire world where I would rather be for Christmas this year. (sorry mom)

Anyways our activity yesterday was great. It was like a giant Christmas devotional we did with the entire Talara district and lots of people showed up. The first part was a baptism of a lady and then they did a live nativity and we ended it with a devotional. President Rowley even came with some of his family that is here vistiting and participated. As missionaries we prepared like a twenty minute program where we had someone read scriptures and we sang christmas hymns and stuff. It was one of the best and most spiritual experiences of my mission. At the end we sang Silent Night and the congregation stood and sang the last verse with us and it almost made me cry the spirit was so strong.

I remember last year when I wrote my testimony in Spanish the week before Christmas so I figure I might as well keep the tradition alive haha.

mas que todo, la navidad ha llegado a ser algo muy especial para mi. mas que regalos. mas que comida y ropa. ha llegado a ser algo mas. ahora estoy entendiendo lo que navidad realmente significa. yo se que cristo nacio y vivio una vida perfecta. se que el hizo su expiacion infinita para que cada uno de nosotros podamos regresar a vivir con dios como familias. se que mediante el podemos ser limpios de nuestros pecados. se que el nos ama. y esto es lo que la navidad significa para mi. dios nos amó tanto que nos dio su hijo unigenito. y jesucristo nos amó tanto que dio su vida para ofrecernos una esperanza nueva. y ahora quiero dar todo de mi para poder ayudar a otros a entender la

TRANSLATION :
most of all, Christmas has become something very special to me. more than gifts. more than food and clothing. has become something else. now I'm understanding what Christmas really means. I know that Christ was born and lived a perfect life. is that infinite atonement made for each of us to return to live with God as families. is that through it we can be cleansed of our sins. is that He loves us. and this is what Christmas means to me. God loved us so much He gave His only begotten son. Jesus Christ loved us and gave his life to offer new hope. and now I want to give my all to help others understand.

 In our Skype with Logan on Christmas he told us they heard a loud growling in this cave and had to keep going back in to see what it was...they never did find anything but he said they will be going back to find out what it was! I told him NOT a good idea! Something tells me he's going back anyways!