Fireworks and Fruitcake

Christmas here in Peru is definitly different, but i have loved every second of it. This week we were worried that we would be able to find any of our investigators and we were a little sad because everyone travels here, but we got to teach this week and they are all progressing. We are teaching an adorable family Christian and Poula and they have accepted baptism! All we have to do is keep teaching them :) they are a golden family and have desires to change. We also have two other sisters we are teaching. One is named Pilar and she is super sweet. She is 18 and here studying by herself and said that she wants to be baptised so she can have a happy future family, and we are teaching another sister named Mabel. I am so happy that we have been able to use this christmas time of year to fine new, and wonderful investigators!!

Here for christmas, most of the celebrating is on christmas eve (noche buena) everyone makes a ton of food, and hot chocolate, and fruitcake and at midnight there are fireworks everywhere!!! It is so beautiful. We got to pass this time with our sweet pensionista Luzmilla and she made everything look so nice, and she made turkey! I was so greatful that she wanted to help us have a happy night. 

We visited all of the members of our branch council to give them little gifts and share a christmas message and it helped us a lot to be able to strenghthen th leaders in our branch. They were all sograteful an even more excited to share their testimonies of Jesus Christ. 

My favorite experience from this week was getting to sing hymns at the plaza and help cute families take pictureswith Santa. We contacted a ton of cute families and we are so excited to teacht hem!!!!! It was such a lovely experience sharing Christs light through beautiful hymns. 

I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and our friend. I know that He was bornand that He lives again and that only through Him we can have eternal life. I love His gospel and I know that it is true. 

Thank you all for your love and your prayers. I pray that you all have a fantastic christmas and that youcan find a chance to share a little bit of Christs love with those around you. 

Con MUCHO amor, 

Hermana Toponce

Hot Sun and Hot Chocolate

Well this week we got the sad news that Piter wont be getting baptised this week. He needs some more time to prepare. We were really dissapointed about it, but I know that everything will work out how it is supposed too! Were just going to keep preparing him for his baptism. 

I have been teaching my companioin the 12 days of christmas song and she loves it! Its helping her learn english and a new christmas song. haha. She taught me one called ven a mi casa este navidad and I love it. It will definitly be one I listen to after my mission. 

One of my families got married and baptised in Iquitos and I am so happy!! Lila and Jairo. We found them and taught them and I wasnt able to be there for their baptism but I am still so happy. The gospel is so wonderful and it has changed them a lot. :)

There were two funerals in our branch this week and we spent alot of the week serving the families and giving them some comfort. We went and sang some hymns with them and drank hot chocolate and it was a great way to bring the spirit into their homes. I felt so sad for them especially at this time of year, but we had a great chance to share our testimonies of the plan of salvation. I know without a doubt that families can be together forever and its one of my favorite things to share with the people here!

This week while we were working and no one was home we found a Caimito tree. Caiminto is a fruit that has a nickname la fruta de los enamorados. (Lovers fruit) because when you eat it your lips get super sticky haha. and we used our lunchtime picking fruit off of the tree. I love fruit from the jungle!!!

I am loving my christmas time here in my favorite area, and I am so grateful for all of your sweet emails for christmas. I hope you all have a fantastic week and remember those who need a little love this Christmastime. 

Warm hugs from Peru, 

Hermana Toponce

Double digits

I have hit double digits in the number of months I have been in the mission! 10 MONTHS!!! I am starting to feel old a little. For my ten months, we had divisions and I got to work with my trainer Hermana Kachkachian again. It was so great! We got to share our mission experiences, and see all of the things we have learned since weve been companions. I loved having a chance to see how much weve grown. I have seriously changed so much, but I know that its a really good change! She said that Im ready to train now, and it was a really nice compliment from her. :)

I ate hamster (or guinea pig I dont remember the difference) this week and it was delicious. My pensionista and my companion couldnt believe that I was okay eating it because all of the other North Americans freak out. I thought it was awesome! I did feel a little bad because its a pet in the united states, but so is turtle and Ive eaten turtle too. Haha! 

We had our Christmas Conference this week and all four of the Zones that are here in Tarapoto got together with President LI and Hermana Li. It was amazing! We sang christmas hymns, and christmas songs, and acted out different scripture stories and everyone was so happy. They caatered a lovely christmas dinner for us and we ate a ton, and then we ate fruitcake and hot chocolate! I was so full. I loved being able to celebrate my favorite time of year with all of the missionaries and remember how important our job of teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ is. I hope you can all remember to keep Christ in christmas this year as you all celebrate with your families :) 

We taught a man named Hans this week who is recovering from a motercylce accident and we were directed to his home just when he needed to hear from us. He was really sad because God had saved his life, but he didnt know how to repay God. I loved being able to teach him how living the gospel can help him show God his love. It was such a special lesson and I know we where where we needed to be! I love teaching the restored gospel. It seriously changes lives and brings hope to those in need.

I know that this gospel is so true. I know that it has been restored so that we can live with God again. Please dont forget to share the best gift of all this Christmas, the gospel, with all of those you love!

(It started raining out of nowhere and the internet was slow again.... no photos...)

Con Amor, 

Hermana Toponce

she sent the pictures the next week that went with this post

Iluminar el Mundo (Light The World)

Transfers have come and gone and I am happy to say that I am still in Tarapoto! My companion is still hermana Quispe and we are loving this area and all of the people here so we were so happy that we get to stay here! This makes three and a half transfers with the same companion... 5 months!! I cant believe it but I am super grateful to be her companion because we get along really well and we teach really well too! Im learning a lot here in the mission. Especially how to love people for who they are. Everyday we meet new people and loving them is so important so they can feel our Saviors love when we teach them. The gift of charity is so beautiful especially this time of year! 

Im super excited for the light the world challenge because we as missionaries are doing it too and it is helping us to find new poeple to teach. This week taught a sweet Sister named Maria and we sung christmas hymns for her and her family and she said she felt the spirit of christmas so strongly in her home. I love this time of year and being a missionary I get the chance to share the true meaning of christmas with people every day!!!! 

Here in peru everyone loves christmas and they are all putting up their lights, the only big difference is that there isnt any snow and it feels like were celebrating christmas in July! One thing that people do here to celebrate is eat Paneton (fruitcake) and drink Chocolatada (Hot chocolate) and I already know Im going to have a full belly all of December! haha!

I am a lot healthier now and this week weve been able to work like normal again! Im so happy about it, the only not so happy thing is that Piter said that he isnt so sure about being baptised anymore and it broke our hearts a little, we are praying that he can recieve an answer again and be baptised this month!! 

I hope you all loved the christmas devotional as much as I did and remember the three gifts you can all five this season, Love, Service, and Forgiveness :)

Thank you all for your prayers, you are in mine!

Con amor, 

Hermana Toponce