10 November 2009

Welp, Im in puno. PUNO. I was so sad to leave Tacna, but like I said last week I didnt think my luck would hold out for a fifth change in Tacna. I did love it though. But yeah, I left at 730 am yesterday and got to puno at 8pm last night. Longest. bus ride. ever. Longer than the trip I took in the greyhound from Provo to LV to visit britt when I had to sit far away from the driver that someone told me looked a lot like someone shed seen on americas most wanted. ANYWAY, here I am in Puno. I thought Id be a lot sicker from the altitude, but luckily so far Ive just had a headache since I got here. I woke up this morning and went outside and our area is all hills and from the top of the hills the lake is right there!!!! Crazy. From what Ive seen though I definitely feel like Im finally in Peru. Houses of mud with roofs of hay, a man chasing his llamas, ladies with their skirts and bowler hats digging in the dirt, after a year, I think Im finally getting the full peruvian experience. I just got a quick glimpse of britts email and I cant believe you guys want to do that for Christmas!!! I personally think its crazy. Who doesnt what gifts for Christmas?? You all at least have to exchange one gift with each other. BUT I was also thinking maybe for something I got changed here, the area with the most poverty in the mission, for Christmas. But Im not exactly sure what would be good to send for gifts or if money would be better. Im going to think this week and look for what people dont have and need.

Anyway, yeah, Im in 2 wards. One called Huascar and the other...I still dont know. Our pension is like 10 minutes from our room so thatll be different and I hear our area is pretty physically demanding and the work is progressing SLOWLY here, but hopefully things will get better in these few changes here. I know youre all praying for that and thank you.

Oh, so we had an activity in para chico the friday before changes. One day in the park we were contacting and we talked with 4 teenagers from Ecuador that had arrived in Tacna and were going to stay for like a month. Turns out 2 of them are members less actives so we invited them all to church and they came. It also turns out theyre dancers!! They were headed to Chile to tour, but one of them couldnt cross the border or something, suspicious I know, BUT, we decided we had to take advantage of their talent and we planned an activity in the ward. Its was like a ward family home evening. We watched a short movie, played games, they danced salsa and typical dances from Ecuador and we of course had empanadas and chicha. It was really, really fun. We were kind of worried because we planned it last minute and we had heard that ward members dont like going all the way to the chapel at night time, but 50 people showed up!!! So yeah, it was a good way to leave Para Chico. It was hard though, i didnt want to go. A few people came to the terminal at 7 yesterday to say goodbye and I was a sobbing mess. But, Im excited to be in puno too. My companion is Hna. Jimenez from Bolivia. My first companion boliviana. She is great.

Anyway, I hope all is well with you guys. love you and miss you all. Love,
Christa

PS, Mom and Darren,for the record there are 3 northamerican sisters in my mission. Counting me. There are more elders, but there is usually only 1 northamerican elder in every zone. Well, thats how its been in my zones at least.

2 November 2009

Hey Hey HEy,
What is going on? Things are pretty good here in Tacna. Not too much to report this week actually. OH, but I DID get your package and big envelope this week and THANK YOU!!! The brownies and desserts have been a hit already and my companion and I have gorged ourselves on cereal bars, gardettos, peanut butter crackers, etc. I also love the pillow case from Jen. Tell her thanks. And thanks for the pictures. Its been fun to FINALLy show people who you guys are!

So how was Halloween? So it turns out hardly anyone celebrates halloween here so I didnt feel like I was missing out on too much. I only saw 3 witches and 1 little ghost trying to collect candy so it looks like peru still has a ways to go for Halloween to be popular. I kept talking about halloween and people kept telling me that only that people that worship satan believe in halloween here? Woops! Someday peru will come to appreciate halloween like we do. It might take a few thousand chili dogs, homemade rootbeer, and truckloads of candy to convince them, but I think itll be worth the effort.

OHHHH, but want to know what we did do on halloween? We got wrangled, WRANGLED, into helping a little old lady construct her alter to the virgen mary because there was going to be a parade and she had to construct an alter with flowers and balloons and the virgen, etc. I saw wrangled because we could not get out of there. There we were, walking down the street, late for an appointment, and this little old lady grabbed us, GRABBED us, and asked us if we could do her 1 tiny, little favor, if I could help her hang a balloon from her window outside because Im tall. Can you believe Im tall here by the way? So I hang one balloon and then she just kept giving us stuff to do and every time we told her we HAD to go and that people were waiting for us she said we couldnt abandon her and that God wouldnt be happy with us and that she needed us more than the people we had appointments with!!! She kept promising us it would only be 2 more minutes, 2 more minutes, well 2 hours later my companion and I, 2 mormon missionaries, had completely assembled this altar for the virgen mary!!! I like to think God will understand. The worst part is though the counselor to our bishop drove by and saw us doing it!!!!! Luckily he just laughed. He got out of his car to tell the lady we really had to go, but she wrangled him into helping too!!! So yeah, thats how I spent my halloween.

Changes are next monday. I would really like to stay in Tacna, but I think 5 changes here would be pushing it. Well see.

Anyway, I have to go, but I hope youre all doing great. I love you and miss you. Thanks for all your prayers and emails and packages and support.

26 October 2009

Hey hey hey!

Welp, I cant believe we have survived this week. I know a wedding and 2 baptisms is a typical Saturday afternoon back at the Keele household, but it just about killed me here in the mission. But yes, Angela got married. It would take like 6 weeks of email time to tell you all about it so I guess itll have to wait, but suffice it to say it was pathetic and perfect all at the same time. We even managed to get a wedding cake to surprise her with. I took lots of pictures. She was able to get baptized on Saturday. Oh. My. Gosh. She changed and was sitting in her baptismal clothes waiting for the baptism to start and I was organizing a few things and somebody came to tell me she was crying! I of course thought shed changed her mind and went to talk with her to ask her if she still wanted to go through with it. She started laughing, while crying, and told me of course she did, but she just couldnt stop crying!! She said she was just so happy and overcome and couldnt believe how blessed she is and how much her life has changed. When I heard that I of course started bawling too. So we sat there, bawling, until the bishops counselor came over and started crying too!! Finally we got it together and she got baptized and they gave her the chance to bear her testimony and in that moment my mission was all worth it. Not that it wasnt before, but its a day I'll never forget. Nicolle, a 9 year old whose family weve been teaching got baptized on Thursday too. As Em would say, it was a crazy awesome week. Emphasis on the crazy though.

So yeah, now we are working with Jessica and Jesus to get baptized. They came to Angelas baptism and are excited to get baptized. When Angela got married on Wednesday I talked with the alcalde, I dont have any idea what that means in english, and he told us he could help us with JEssica and JEsus because JEssicas birth certificate is in the jungle somewhere. So hes going to let us start the papers and help us request her birth certificate. They are supposed to be getting married Nov. 6 and baptized Nov. 7 and changes are Nov. 8!!!! Im not so sure Ill still be around if they end up having to get married and baptized after that, but I know itll happen and thats the important thing right? I dont think I ever told you guys how about a month ago Jesus almost moved to Chile where he was going to live for 6 MONTHS to work??!! Jessica and JEsus knit sweaters for a living out of their house-theyre really nice sweaters though, I think they make sweaters that gap imports! Seriously! But for a while there wasnt any work and he decided he had to move to chile where theres a lot of work and since he was going to be illegal he wasnt going to be able to come back for 6 months!!! I FREAKED OUT!! We prayed, fasted,talked with every employer and priesthood leader in Tacna, and the day he had his suitcase packed and was going to leave at 5 pm, we stayed at his house for 3 HOURS talking to him about his family and how wed help him find work and how it would be better to stay together and get married and baptized. Well, after 3 hours he told us he was sick of listening to us and that hed stay!!!! So he stayed and now they have more work than they can handle!! They found like 15 new clients and are working like crazy! They told us they want to get married and baptized so they can start paying their tithing?? What?? So yeah, I feel like even if Im not here to see it that they are going to get married and baptized and be just fine. The bishop told me last week he thinks they are more active than he is becuse they are at EVERY activity the ward has. So yeah, Im going to help them make a book of their sweaters to show to clients. Looks like my PR education might just come in handy in peru afterall.

I love you guys and miss you. Hope youre all doing great. I ran out of time to write more!! Talk to you soon!

19 October 2009

HOOOOOOOLA. How are you guys??!!!! Things are pretty good here. So it turns out Angela didn’t get baptized this week. BUT, its okay. Her boyfriend wasn’t able to get a paper he needed to be able to get married because he went to this clinic to get a test done and the clinic was closed because Peru was playing in a soccer match. Obviously. So yeah, he had to get the test done today instead of Friday and shes now going to get baptized Saturday and married Wednesday. We have another baptism on Wednesday though, a little girl named Nicolle, so it should be a busy week. I like busy weeks though. Way better than slow weeks in the mission. Yesterday in Relief Society I was sitting by Angela and she was talking about the quorum of the 70 and the restoration during the lesson and I had a flashback to the day we knocked on her door-june 8. Its pretty amazing to the see the difference in someone in such a short amount of time thanks to the gospel.

What else, OH. I. ATE. CEVICHE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Best day ever!!! I can officially say Im living in peru. It was so good!! We will have to look for a good ceviche place when I get back.

Oh, so Jessica and Jesus had their pollada on Saturday. We were chopping and frying and delivering chicken all day. Seriously, WHAT is this mission preparing me for?? BUT, they made enough money to get married so we are going to be starting the paperwork with them this week. Jesus told us he wants to be baptized in a font of whiskey so he can take one last gulp as hes being baptized. Supposedly he gave up alcohol like 3 years ago so I think he was kidding….but yeah, they are a really good couple and after 4 months of working with them it looks like they’ll finally able to get baptized too.

So remember how I complained like 2 or 3 times because the water got shut off in my last area? Well it looks like that was just preparing me for Spring and Summer in Tacna because starting at 4 pm everyday there is NO water!!! Until 7 am!!! We have to fill buckets with water that we keep in the shower to use from 4-7. Ridonculous as Em and Britt would say. But yeah, what can you do. Yeah, so theres no usable water, but twice in this last week weve opened the door to our room to find it FLOODED with sewer water!!!! Not flooded, flooded, but all of our things on the floor got wet. Supposedly the owner of the house took care of it. Lets hope so. The worst part is I didn’t know where all the water had come from until I started cleaning it up and realized it reaked!!! Oh well. What can you do.

Anyway, I hope you are doing great. I miss you and love you all!! Hows baby tuck? How are all of you?? What are the Halloween plans? Maybe dont tell me. Mmmmm chili dogs....Anyway, more next week. The internet is slow again!! TAlk to you soon!!!

12 October 2009

Hey Hey Hey familia!!! Somebody in peru had to tell me that today is Columbus day by the by. Turns out Ive never known and or recognized Columbus Day. Woops!! But anyway, happy columbus day!!!

Whats going on???? Things are good here in Tacna. Im glad to hear little tuck got here alright!!! But yeah, it was pretty convenient that Tucker, or Tmoney as Im sure Em will be calling him, CAME on the week I hit a year!! Oct 8th was good. My companion gave me a card and a family in our ward treated us to dinner then the elders told me we had to do practices at the house of a family and we showed up and they threw eggs and flour on me and shoved my FACE in a cake. Thats how they say congratulations here in peru. I'll send pictures. I was in the shower for like an hour to get clean. It was a good day though.

This week at church was good. We had 7 investigators there and Angela had her baby blessed. Adorable. The plans are still for her to get married Friday and baptized Saturday. I'll let you know next week how it turns out. The only problem is on Saturday we are also going to be helping with the pollada for Jessica and Jesús to be able to get married and baptized. Its a typical keele day.

Anyway, I hope youre all doing great. After a year in the misión I still miss you all and love you all. I also still miss and love TV. In case you were wondering. Guess a year hasnt changad me TOO much. Love you!!! Talk to you soon!!

5 October 2009

Hey fam a lam,

Schwat is up?!! How has your week been?? ANYWAY, how was conference for you guys?? I only got to see the last hour of the last session in english, but I liked the whole thing. Obviously.

So we spent Tuesday of this week trying to get a bunch of paperwork taken care of so Angela can get married and baptized next week. God Bless America is all I have to say about that. At one point we were paying a man in an alley with his typewriter to give us a document we needed. But the funny thing is is that here in peru that´s totally legit!!! The man in the alley in the typewriter was recommended to us by town hall!! It was an insane day trying to get everything taken care of. Peru has a TON of requirements for people to get married and everyone told us something different about each requirement, but we finally got it all done and I have learned a LOT about how to get someone married in peru. Thanks to men in back alleys. So yeah,looks like, hopefully Angela will be getting married on the 16th and baptized on the 17th. Hopefully!!

Hey, I made an apple crisp this week!! We have a family thats investigating and they invited us to lunch and had made chicken. Duh. And potatoes. More obvious. And we made an apple crisp for dessert. They loved it!!!! And so did I!!! It tasted like home. So good.

Anyway, I have to go. We are going to play soccer today. IT´s finally getting a little warmer so it should be fun. I love you all and miss you. Hope youre doing great. Talk to you soon!!!

28 September 2009

Welp, my prayers, and yours, thank you thank you thank you, were answered!! I'll, or I guess I should say we'll, Hermana. Cavero didnt get changed either, be hanging out in Tacna for at least 6 more weeks!!! They called at almost 11 last night to tell us and we were so happy!!!!

This week we had an experience that screamed Keele Family a.k.a. Emily crawling through the woodbox to get into the house. So Angela has been in the house of her mom recovering from giving birth for a few weeks, but she really misses her log,dirt house and having us be able to visit. So she told her mom she was going to take some baby things to her wood house and have a discussion with us then go back. Well we had some more things from the RS ladies so we took a stroller and a bunch of things to her house too. We found her sitting outside on a rock. Turns out she had forgotten the key to her house in her moms house and only had 20 soles and would have had to walk to the center to make change to be able to go back to her moms house. So yeah, we got there and I, being a Keele, told her it was NOT a problem. That we´d disassemble part of the brick wall surrounding her log cabin to make a staircase to get into her property to be able to open the door to let her into the property so she could get into the house inside. So, in skirts, we start pulling bricks off the wall and building our staircase. Well we finally got it to a good level and I climbed up the brick wall and jumped from the top of the wall into her property. Then I went to open the door to let them in, but the door was locked with 2 keys and I could only get one of the locks open from the inside without the key!! So I told them NOT a problem, I would hoist them over the wall so they could get in and we could look for a key she thought she had inside the log cabin. So then I tried to get into the log cabin to get a chair out to help them over and I had to unwind wire and pull out paper they had shoved in there so nobody would break in, etc. Finally I got in and helped them jump the wall with the help of a chair. So we found the keys but NONE of them worked!!! So then we tried to use a butter knife to get the lock off the door so we could carry all of her baby stuff inside. Well that didn´t work. So we ended up hoisting all the baby stuff over the wall and then I finally, FINALLY, said, ¨¨how about my companion and I go back to your mom´s house to get the keys and leave you here with all the baby stuff.¨We all realized we were crazy for not having thought of that. I think I thought it would be a lot easier to get the door open than it was. So we left her inside and rebuilt her brick wall so nobody else would climb in then went to her moms house and got the keys and yeah, that´s how we spent the afternoon Tuesday. Well, I had actually forgotten it´d happened until a guy from our ward asked us why he saw my companion alone outside a random house that the police were driving by!! Good thing that´s something normal in peru and the police didn´t take too much interest. Angela had another picantada Saturday to be able to make more money so she can get married and baptized this month. Turns out someone gave her 100 fake soles!!! I think she was still able to make a bit of a profit though. Hopefully. I know she´ll be able to get married though.


I was reading the Sept Ensign this month and I really liked a quote I found. It says, the church was organized to make life sweet today, to give contentment to the heart today, to bring salvation today...some of us look forward to a time in the future but today is a part of eternity. I liked that.

Anyway, I love you and miss you all!! Hope you´re great and that little Tucky comes soon!! Enjoy conference!! Love you!!!