Feliz Navdad!

Feliz Navidad Familia!

Can´t wait to talk to some of you guys on Christmas. So the big news this week was I got a new companion...Elder Quille from Peru. He is a way cool guy and I really like his style of teaching. We had a good first week. There are things to learn from each companion so that is cool. 

For service we pretty much moved the entire Sahara Desert from the street onto someone’s roof. The service we do here is pretty intense. 

We had a good week going around and sharing the “HE IS THE GIFT” video, which is really good and you should all check it out.

We planned a really cool Ward Christmas Activity, sung Christmas songs, played games, watched the movie of the Savior’s birth, and then had hot chocolate and panetón. Panetón is super popular here. Its kind of like fruit cake, but pretty tasty. It tastes like Christmas...you all know that taste...the Christmas taste that you just can’t really describe.

Last night we had a good Family Home Evening with the A_____’s, and watched part of the Christmas Devotional and ate Panetón and hot chocolate.  

We are getting pretty excited for Christmas.  Hermana Vega is cooking our Christmas Lunch, and I think we are having turkey. On Christmas Eve all the missionaries are going to have a big party together which is fun. For New Year’s, Hermana Vega is going to kill one of her roosters, and she already said she would give me the honor. So next week I get to kill a rooster with my bare hands.

On the more spiritual side of things, I think this Christmas Season has been one of the most special in my life. I am not thinking about myself this Christmas, but just thinking about the Savior and the glorious message of his Gospel. 

I am so grateful for the opportunity to share this message with others, and there is nowhere on earth I would rather be this Christmas Season than right here in Perú. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is so true, and if we can all remember that this week, we are going to have the most marvelous Christmas of our lives.  Love you all, and I wish you a very Merry Christmas..or Feliz Navidad!

Con Mucho Amor, 
Elder Reschke

P.S. The missionary work here is just dandy. Our investigators are pretty interested in our message. I know that the Holy Ghost will tell us all the things that we need to say to them to bring them this message of the Restored Gospel .

Questions Elder Reschke answered this week:

What are some of the Christmas Traditions in Peru you saw this week?

Paneton is the biggest food custom here.  It just tastes like Christmas.  People have these giant Nativities.  So, they make a little mound of boxes in their living room and cover it up with crumpled green paper, and have all these animals and stuff.  I think some of them even have llamas which is fitting.

How is it with Summer there?

Since we are so close to the equator, the sun is way closer and so it feels stronger, and it’s pretty hot.  But sometimes it gets a tad bit chilly at night.  Air conditioning is non existent.  They don’t have hollow walls like we do in the USA.  It’s just bricks or cement.  But the church, the A________’s, and our room all have fans.  

Can you tell more about the Peruvian Street Dogs?

I decided that Peru is the Humane Society’s worst nightmare. There are so many dogs.  When there is one homeless dog in Utah, they make a billboard for it and a TV commercial to try to influence somebody to bring it into their loving home.  The dogs here fend for themselves.  They eat garbage, diapers, plastic bags, and drink out of puddles.

What have you learned this Christmas?

Man, this Christmas Season has been such an eye opening experience to me.  Nobody has Christmas presents.  And when Christmas comes, they only give presents to the little kids.  People search through the garbage in the streets just to find old bottles to recycle and scrape up a few soles to live off of for that week.  BUT I know that it is not material possessions that bring happiness. It is the Atonement of our Lord Jesus Christ.  But, for this moment, there is no other place in this planet I would rather be for Christmas, than Lima Peru!

                                                       Anticucho ( grilled cow heart) and fries:

                                                                     P. Day lunch:

                                                               Frozen lemonade:

                                                                       Cute little kids:

                                                               Elders with a family:

                                                      Christmas Family Home Evening:

                                                                Christmas in Peru:

                                                                   Street contacting:

                               Elder Reschke and Elder Wilson who is from Panguitch, Utah:

                                                                   Peruvian Nativity:

                                                        Elder Aoki and Elder Reschke:

                               At the Ward Christmas Party eating hot chocolate and Paneton:

                                                             Fish and beans and rice:

                                                      Up in the hills:

                                                  Houses on the hill:

                                                                   Christmas Paneton:

                                                                       More Paneton:

                                 New companion, Elder Quille who is from Arequippa, Peru: