Hermana and the Llamas: There´s no place like CUZCO for the holidays

I only have time for random happenings of the week because I still don´t know how to manage my time on pday haha. sometimes time limits are the WORST.

1-- hna flor called me tweety bird´s grandma because of my glasses and bun. Yeah whatever. My hair is ridiculously long and it drives me crazy, so BUN IT IS. erry day. I refuse to let anyone here touch my hair with scissors. I´ll just wait another 10 months and let the split ends run wild.

oh yeah. by the way. I will hit my 8 month mark this week. STOP IT. ugh. too fast.

2-- Sometimes it just amazes me that i speak spanish. I speak a language that no one in my family understands. WHAT IS THAT! I remember working in Chef´s table when I couldn´t understand the dishboy and just wanting to be able to communicate so badly. I could say "La basura, amigo." "mas platos por favor" "que quiere comer?" "no mas cerveza amigo" "donde esta el pollo?" and... that´s about it. Now if I ever want to work in a kitchen again, I´m SET.

3-- Hermana Flor just got internet in the house so we can skype you guys. She loves us too much.

4-- We´re going to Cuzco this friday to have a christmas dinner with the president and the 2 other zones in Cuzco, and I GET TO SEE HERMANA THOMPSON AGAIN!

5-- Ribaldo (son of a less active who forgot she was a member) Has a baptismal date for the 28th. The weekend before transfers. HE is so excited and just soaks up everything we tell him. This family is incredible and their trials have made them so much stronger in their faith. I love them.

I just wanna let you all know once again how grateful I am for this gospel. For teh opportunity to be a missionary. IN PERU! For the chance God gave me to change and try to pay him back by coming here. My life is worlds different than what it was even just 18 months ago. I am so grateful to be here. I know exactly where I would have been if I didn´t serve a mission, and I thank God every day for letting me be here. I love my mission president, my companion, ward, family, and most of all, I LOVE this gospel, God, and Jesus Christ.

That´s all.

Love, Hermana Allred

1-- Pday as a Zone playing soccer in the Rosaspata Sports complex. Luckily it was sunny and there was a playground or I would have been bored to tears.

2-- Hermano Alex and his english students. We went to help them with their Finals. They had to talk to a gringo for 5 minutes. They had no idea what I was saying.... I didn´t know what they were trying to say either. But they tried haha.

3-- We helped this family set up their nativity (with a million random animals) and also do some farm work in their "yard". The mom´s name is Yolanda, and he has had cancer for 2 years. They told her she had 6 months to live when she got it, but she said God told her she would be okay. She is almost 100% recovered. But this christmas, she is going to be in Arequipa ALONE going through Chemotherapy. She is the most positive happy person I´ve ever met. She said "the first thing I´m going to do when I´m better is go with the missionaries to visit people who need help".... wow. Even when she is the one who needs help more than anyone, she is still thinking about others. I love her. SO MUCH.

1-- Dancing in the ampitheater while the elders play soccer... again.

2-- The nativity

3-- switching out my 100 soles with hna. Flor cuz NO ONE has change here. but Hna. Flor is like the richest person in Sicuani, so she´s got my back. Also, look at her face hahahahhaha. I don´t know why she looked so upset. She is happy I promise.

4-- The cute lil tree in the pharmacy