We hope you all had a Merry Christmas. Our house was a little quieter this year without Christa, Darren, Mel, Quincy and Stratton. It was just Mom, Dad, Emily and me. We had a nice family conversation on Christmas Day, though, and were all able to talk to each other. It was fun to hear from Christa! She has been in her first area for a few weeks now. It has been hard, but she is doing well. She lives with a woman and the woman's grandmother who cook and do laundry for Christa and her companion. The food has been a major adjustment for her. Breakfast consists of, in her words,  "mystery meat and tomatoes." All she wants is a bowl of oatmeal. (My mom is working on a package to send to Christa full of instant oatmeal.) She loves her companion who will be returning home to Northern Peru in March. To those of us who are not fluent in Spanish, she sounds awesome, but she says she still can't understand much and most people can't understand her! She is looking forward to the day when she will be more comfortable speaking. (I'm sure that day will be very soon!) She also told us some good stories about the transportation in Peru. She advised my dad to buy back his old Cadillac, move to Peru, join the locals in their transportation efforts, and he would be a rich man! Christa wanted to thank everyone who has written and sent packages. She does not have enough time to write back, but she wants everyone to know she greatly appreciates it. 

Here are some pictures we received from Christa on Christmas Eve. The first set are from the MTC in Lima that include the sisters in her district, the MTC President and his wife the Grobergs, downtown Lima at night, more sisters at the MTC, and a trip to the zoo.

The following pictures are from here first area in Arequipa. These include sunflowers (Christa's favorite), Misti (volcano), her neighborhood, her rooftop, view from the rooftop, nativity inside her apartment, her welcome to the mission sign!