FAMILY, CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

FAMILY!!!

This past week was so incredible!!! And can I just say that talking to you guys was absolute heaven!! I miss you all to pieces but am so happy to see you all are doing so great! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!!!

Gee Whiz Facts of the Week:

1. Oh boy … so this week, during a lesson with an investigator family, we asked to finish the lesson with a prayer. We asked the investigator if they would say it, and I couldn't hear the response, but the investigator was looking at me and talking, so I thought we were just having a normal conversation. So I just kept smiling and nodding my head at them (a typical conversation) and then all of a sudden they said Amen. Yup, they had been saying the prayer the whole time and I had been smiling and nodding my head to every word of their prayer.

2. I ate the sticker on an apple ... woops!

3. My companion was robbed in the markado (a bunch of outdoor stores all squished together)

4. It is Summer here in Piura right now … and burning hot!

So we had a great events for Christmas this week!!

1. We got to sing in a park called Plaza de Almas as a Zone! It was on Christmas Eve and there were so many people!!! We sang a bunch of Christmas hymns and then finished it with a bang singing Feliz Navidad and I Wanna Wish You a Merry Christmas! It was just great!

2. With some ward members, we went to the house of the father who has the sick son, and the ward members gave him a priesthood blessing! It was such an incredible experience and you have to remember that this is an investigator family! We haven’t even really taught them yet, but the father had so much faith that the priesthood blessing would help his son! Such an incredible experience!

3. An investigator family invited us to eat Christmas Dinner with them. But the tradition here is to eat a huge meal at midnight on Christmas Eve … ssooooo we couldn’t eat with them. But we stopped by to wish them a Merry Christmas and I sent you a pic of the meat they had!! SOOOO MUCH MEAT!

Also, we have new investigators! It’s great because they are references from less actives so hopefully they can help us with their friends and accompany us to the lessons! We have contacted of few of the references and they are so excited to learn more. WE LOVE REFERENCES!!!

Honestly I just have to say that I loved being able to preach the gospel during Christmas. Man, it was hard being away from my family and from the snow (it is so hot here), but I feel so blessed to be able to share the message of our Savior with the people of Piura. So many people wanted to listen to our message this week. It was AMAZING!!! It is like all of their hearts opened up and they wanted so badly to hear about Christ and what he did for us. I love my Savior, and to be able to testify of him to the people of Piura is an experience I am never going to regret!

A missionary friend mentioned something that her mission is doing for the new year. All the missionaries are taking to the time to write a letter to Christ. What an incredible idea. Give it a try!

I wish you all the happiest New Year’s and cannot thank you enough for your support! Make 2015 a year to remember! Do a little more for your neighbor, share the gospel, and change bad habits to good. We are so blessed to have this glorious gospel! Make every day a good one and have no regrets!

I love you all and thank you all for your support!!!

XOXO – Hermana Shumway

The pic is a little blurry ... but hopefully you can see all that delicious meat!

Carlita (our darling investigator who so badly wants to get baptized ... hopefully soon) with her parents - they are the family who cooked the incredible meat in the picture above and invited us to their Christmas Eve feast!