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It's CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!! Or, almost Christmas. Same thing, right?
I'm not going to lie, I have like, 0 ganas of writing an email right now (Ganas means desires). I don't know why, but all my ganas of writing just went out the window, I have no idea why... sorry. I don't know what to write about. Christmas is tomorrow and I'll be talking with my family on the phone. I don't know what all to talk about either... If I say everything, there won't be anything to talk about tomorrow, right? At least, that's how I look at it.
I've had a LOT of people ask me what Christmas is like in Guatemala, so I guess I'll start there.
In Guatemala people DO celebrate Christmas... but it's quite different. People put up lights, and trees, and the whole nine yards. In fact, there is a HUGE Christmas tree on the way to the office that's all decorated and what not. It's called the "Gallo Tree" because it is sponsered by the Gallo company. In Guatemala people start celebrating Christmas on December 1st. Everyone alread is putting up their trees and they light fireworks ALL the time. From December 1st until the New Year there are fireworks EVERYWHERE. It's crazy! On December 6th they have what is called the burning of the devil. Everyone gets all of their garbage together, buys piñatas shaped like the devil and fireworks and at 6 p.m. everyone lights their garbage on fire in the streets, lights of fireworks (mostly firecrackers) and burns the devil. How's that for a different tradition? After that everything is normal, just more fireworks, until December 24th. Everyone in central America celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve. It's a VERY different experience than in the US. At midnight on Christmas Eve they have the family hug and then they eat dinner! At midnight... then after dinner and talking for a while, they open their presents! Or sometimes even before dinner! All of the hype and celebration is a build up to the 24th of December.... it's basically like the 25th isn't Christmas. It's weird! Not weird as in weird, but weird as in completely different from the US traditions. As for traditional Guatemala Christmas food. Tamales and ponche. Everyone (almost) eats tamales for Christmas. All KINDS of tamales. You couldn't even describe them all. And ponche is a very weird drink. It's boiled fruit water. They put all sorts of fruit into water and boil it. Then you drink this hot fruit water and eat the fruits. They put in apple, pineapple, pear, cranberries, prune looking things, papaya, just whatever kind of fruit you want! I'm not a big fan. Call me weird, but I don't really enjoy my fruit HOT. It tastes alright, but I don't like eating all the fruit afterward. It's just the way it is here in Guatemala!
Yesterday we had our Mission Christmas Conference with all of the missionares inside of the capital. There were 100 of us! It was CRAZY! We started out by preparing Christmas presents for investigators or members in need in our areas. Afterwards we played sports for an hour. That was CRAZY with 100 missionaries. There is always a little bit of racism for soccer and basketball. It kind of stinks. I didnt play either. Someone brought a football so we played two hand touch, first to score and then switch teams which was WAY fun! Lunch was delicious as well! Roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, chef's salad, and a piece of bread. And for dessert, a slice of apple pie! Yum! The best part of the activity, or one of the best, was that we got to watch... A MOVIE!!! How sick is that? We watched last year's big hit "Tangled". Absolutely loved it the second time too! It was a nice stress reliever and fun time to watch a silly Disney movie with a bunch of other missionaries and President and Sister Watts.
As Sister Watts was sharing her message with us, she quoted a scripture which I absolutely love and I think is absolutely perfect for this time of the year, and it applies to all of us. "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!"
I, too, know that He lives. Yea, that He is our Savior and Redeemer. We celebrate this time now as His birth. In a few short months we will celebrate His resurrection. I am so happy to be here int he mission, sharing my testimony with the world of Jesus Christ. Like the prophets of old, like the prophets today, I know that He lives. Everything He did while in this life was for US. I will join my testimony with those that have gone before me, that the whole world may know that Jesus is The Christ, the Son of the Living God, our Savior, our Redeemer, and our Everliving Friend. Merry Christmas.
Love,
Elder Andrew A. LaPray
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