Merry Christmas

P-day was a lot of fun!  After cleaning our house we met up with the Sister Missionaries in our district (Hermana Cuque and Hermana Empey)  We took the tour of San Luis on the double decker bus because none of them had ever done it.  And although it was my third time, it was still lots of fun  :)  I learned that Tangamanga means "place of water and gold"  And tons of the cathedrals and buildings here were built back in the 1700's.  It is so beautiful here.  We all ate Subway together after.

Hermana Gonzalez and me in the capital. I lost the bet on 

counting Santas, so I bought us banana splits

Then we celebrated Aida Jr's 24th birthday.  It was so nice of her to invite us because we were the only people apart from family that attended.  Oh, and we had bought her a cute balloon in the Capital, that said something along the lines of "each year you are more pretty and we hope all your wishes come true"  After cake and ice cream she gave Hermana Gonzalez and I each Christmas gifts - so thoughtful.  They were cute scarves that we wore the rest of the day.

In the evening, a less active family invited us to eat dinner with them and I fell in love with their adorable puppy named Gus!  Then to top things off, we had a Family Home Evening with a recent convert family.  After an inspirational message we played games and had dessert  :)  What an awesome day!

Tuesday, we had the district meeting and I loved the talk Hermana Gonzalez gave about Joseph Smith (today was his birthday)  I am so incredibly grateful for Joseph Smith and all he did for us.  In the evening when we visited Teodulo & Maria they gave us a little nativity for us to set up in the house.  They are so thoughtful.  Before heading home, we visited Hermana Elena Juarez (the member that bought us the hats and shoes)  Well, her brother was there and he told us about his amazing experience as a patriarch.  He is pretty old now and has Parkinsons Disease, so he was released from the calling but testified to us about Priesthood power.  It was a very special experience.

This was taken Christmas day. 

We had fun with the sparklers and some kids

Wednesday - Christmas Eve - is celebrated here more than Christmas Day.  Before lunch we visited Hermana Campos because we knew she'd been spending the day alone.  She was so thrilled that we took the time to see her and thanked us many times.  I hope we never forget to take a little time to visit those that might be lonely.  After eating, Hermana Gonzalez and I visited a less active family to teach them about gratitude.  I am so amazed by how happy these people are when they only receive one or two simple presents for Christmas.  They truly have taught me how to be grateful for things that really matter, like good health or time with the family.  They gave us tons of candy and we even lit up a few sparklers outside with the kids  :)

Christmas Eve dinner was fantastic.  We spent the evening in the house of Any Rodriguez.  Her son was actually in the MTC at the same time as Hermana Gonzalez!  Small world.  We ate together, took lots of pictures, and enjoyed each other's company.  Hermana Any even gave us our own Christmas presents and I felt at home.  These members have become like family to me and I am so grateful for all their love.

With Hermana Any

Thursday!  Merry Christmas everyone!  It was a wonderful day for me.  As a zone we watched a Christmas movie in the stake center and ate popcorn, chips, cake, etc.  It was fun to be with the other missionaries and chat with everyone.

This photo was taken on Christmas morning with the zone. when I found out we WEREN'T going to watch Frozen, ....this was the face I decided to make for the photo ;) haha

At lunch we ate a Christmas feast with Hermana Cervantes.  She is an abstract artist and always gives us decorations for our house - like our little Christmas tree.  She had all of her family over, so there were lots of people and commotion.  The best part of the day was when we were able to skype our families!!  It was the best Christmas present I could have asked for, and I loved hearing my family and seeing each of them.  They mean so much to me and I couldn't believe how fast the time flew by.  But, at least I won't have to wait as long to see them again - in 5 months I talk to them for Mother's Day  :)

Then in the evening we spent some time at Monica's house.  Pretty much this ward is made up of two big families whose children & friends all married each other.  And at the house we saw everyone!  It was a lot of fun and they offered to feed us even more food.  By the end of the night I was sick of eating and have never felt so full!

While waiting for dinner, Hermana Gonzalez and
I took a ton of selfies for your viewing pleasure

So, Friday we did our weekly planning and Hermana Gonzalez and I set some goals & New Year Resolutions for 2015!  I can't believe an entire year has flown by!  Then for lunch we ate left-overs at Hermana Any's house from the Christmas Eve dinner.  I've eaten so much food these past few days.  

Our investigator Lulu gave us mascara as little Christmas gifts - she's so sweet.  In the evening we visited another new investigator named Enriqueta.  She is great and is a single mother of 3 teenage girls.  Get this ... her youngest daughter, who is only 13 years old is almost 6 foot!! They are really receptive & love our visits.

At night we had our exchanges with one of the sister companionships.  I went to another area to spend the following day with Hermana Carreto.

Saturday was a lot of fun with Hermana Carreto.  She arrived in Mexico in the same "generation" as me and we have always considered each other friends.  She is from Puebla, Mexico and actually wants to study marketing at BYU one day.  I love her positive outlook on life and patience.  She's what I would call a "peace maker."  Hermana Carreto has a huge heart and is so thoughtful.  We made several visits and set some goals on how she can improve.

On Sunday, our last Sunday of the year, we had a great sacrament meeting where the speakers addressed us about the importance of self-reflection and goal setting.  They challenged us to set goals for the new year of 2015 and strive to become better.  I loved it.  I am determined to set several new goals for the upcoming year  :)  Teodulo and Maria came to church and so did Lulu and Brandon.  The Gospel Principles class that Hermana Gonzalez & I taught the 3rd hour went well.  We talked about prayer and the Holy Ghost - which are two important things that go hand-in-hand.  After the third hour we went back to the house for a little before lunch.  We were served a ton of food with the Amaya family.  They are  so great (all their children have served missions) and they treat us like their own kids.  They gave us Christmas gifts and tomorrow Hermana Gonzalez and I are going to download new music from their huge collection of church songs!!  In the evening we made visits and all went really well.  I am in love with this work and this area and couldn't be happier  :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic New Years!!  Don't forget to set goals for yourself and enjoy some fireworks for me  :)  I love you all more than I can describe and am incredibly grateful for all the prayers on my behalf.

Con mucho amor,
Hermana Eliason

Christmas with the elders 

Kids, sparklers & Christmas Eve

Building at the capital