December 29, 2010

Hey everyone!(Everyone: Hey Elder Craig!!!!!)

Wow, has it already been another week???? I can´t believe how fast this past week has flown! Honestly, the first week felt slow, but now things are speeding up! AHHHHH!!!!!! Jajaja. Anyways, I´m sure that ya´ll would like to hear how my Christmas and Christmas Eve went......

So, on Christmas Eve, we had normal classes for the first part of the day, until about three in the afternoon. Then, we had a special Christmas Devotional. Then, after dinner, we had some free time to write handwritten letters to family (I don´t have any stamps, so I couldn´t write anything....sorry!). Then, after dinner, we had a special presentation about Christmas, which was basically just us hearing the Christmas Story from Luke( I could just imagine Dad reading it like he does every year....made me feel at home.) and hearing a bunch of Christmas carols. Then after that we followed a tradional Peruvian Christmas Eve hot chocolate and panteon( basically fruitcake, but a lot better quality than American fruitcake.). It was really good!!! Then we sang non-Christian Christmas carols to finish the night, as in Jingle Bells, 12 days of Christmas, You´re a mean one, Mr. Grinch, etc, etc. And we had a really good time with that one.

The next morning, we were able to sleep in til 7:30( That´s never going to happen again, until I have my own apartment after my mission, I already know. Jajaja!)  And we got up and had a light breakfast.

Next we had a Christmas Day Devotional, which lasted about two hours.

Next we had some personal study time. Then was our Christmas Dinner.....It included every kind of meat( chicken, pork, beef, and turkey), rice, skewers, mashed potatoes, salad, Jell-O( The Jell-O here rocks the socks off of the Jell-O in Utah, just saying.) and the best churros ever( filled with dulce de leche!!!!!!). And I practically ate everything on that list, so I was completely stuffed!!! Next we got to go change into P-Day clothes( Just regular clothing.). Then we got to break open piñatas that were filled with dulces and money(peanuts, not cash). I still have a cup full of it.

lol. Then we went and played waterballoon volley ball and kick ball for the rest of the afternoon. Then they said that we were going to have a light dinner. It was a 1/3 lb hamburger! Light my foot! After dinner, we finished off the night by watching The Other Side Of Heaven( The only Disney-made movie about missionary work.)! It was awesome....love that movie. And that was my Christmas!!!!

Everything else is the same here. Taking lots of classes, speaking plenty of español, forgetting some English words. I am totally stoked to hit the field next week. I can´t believe that my time to hit el campo is finally here!!! Crazy! The next time I email you, I´ll be in another country(again!!!!)

Mom- well, you can read what I did for Christmas, lol. And it is very warm here. I would say at least low to mid nineties. It´s hot!

Dad- I am totally ready for culture shock. It´s pretty boring staying within the same 100 yards for the past 9 weeks. But it´ll be good for some change. I´ll send you pics from Bolivia.

Aly- I´m glad you had a good time with the fam!!! I can´t believe that you start your last semester soon. ¡Buena suerte!!!

Emi- Hope you´re doing well.....YOU NEED TO WRITE ME!!!!

Michael- Hope everything goes well. Bug the KPsi peeps to write me, and anyone else who needs to do so.

Last mensaje de Peru!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Elder Christian Craig

December 21, 2010

¡Hola from Lima, Peru!!!!!!!

I hope everyone is doing well. I am doing awesome!! Things are going well for me here. I´m staying super busy, and having lots of fun at the same time! This computer isn´t letting me jump down, so it´s going to be all in one paragraph. Let me tell you about my first week. I arrived at about seven in the morning after a red eye from L.A. I got about three hours of sleep. Luckily, it was P-day(Preparation Day) and so it was a chill day. I have my second companion, Elder Camacho. He´s from Pizco, Peru, and he´s really good at soccer, and he loves to dance. The next few days I´ve had nothing but class. I have two teachers, Hermano Meza and Hermana Flores. Both are RM´s and served in Peru. I´ve also done some translating, where I translate from Spanish into English for the missionaries who use translators during meetings and such. We have TRC, where we teach fake investigators, everyday.

That´s a ton compared to the once a week in Provo. We also have lots of vocab, and lots of speaking español. I would like to think that I am improving, but there are times when I can´t understand the natives...hahahaha!!!!! We play lots and lots of soccer everyday. It is so much fun! I love it. And, I´ve scored two goals so far.....which isn´t that good, but I´m proud anyways. haha! My daily diet includes, for breakfast(usually) bread and eggs, then lunch, chicken or beef, potatoe, yuca (a high fiber cactus...i think), and lots of rice. Then for dinner, it´s practically the same as lunch. Every Wednsday and Sunday at lunch we get ice cream, too!!!! Then after every meal we have time to go play foozball (yup, they have four tables), ping-pong, or zapa (a game where you try to throw a coin into a frog´s mouth.) Yeah. So, tonight we have Elder Nash, our Area authority coming in to speak to us. So, I´m doing alright. Food´s good, companion´s good, and I´m totally psyched to get to the field in TWO WEEKS! I can´t believe that it´s that close already.....but it also seems so far. I guess that´s how my entire mission will be, right?

Mom- I love you, and I hope you have an awesome Christmas!! I think about  you every day!!!!!

Dad- Hope the powder´s treating you well. I´m jealous. I love you, and hope you´re safe.

Alyssa- Nice job on your finals! That´s the way to be. I´m glad that Plague is safe too.

Emi- Study hard, and have fun peering. Peering has totally been my favorite job that I´ve had to date.

Grandma Allen- Glad to hear you´re doing well.  Say hi to the Blocks for me!!!! Love you!!!!!

Abuelita y Grandpa- Me alegre que Uds. estan bien. ¡Espero que tengan una Navidad fantástica!

Ok, that´s all from me for now on this hemisphere!!!!!

Love you!!!!!!!

Elder Christian Craig

P.S. dearelder is not the best idea to send me anymore. It takes an entire week for it to  get here.

He's in Peru!

Hey!!!!!! I just wanted to let you know that I made it to Lima....about six hours ago....hahaha! The MTC here is awesome! We had our first meal, and everything´s going well. I have a new companion. His name is Elder Camacho, and he´s a native of Peru, so he speaks no english. So, it´s my responsibility to teach him english, while he teaches me spanish. It should be fun. So, my P-days are now Wednesdays, and I practically have no limit on time, as long as I don´t abuse it. I´ve already played a game of soccer! And it went pretty well, I thought. But yeah. So, yeah. I´m good!!!

Week 6 -- Leaving the MTC!

Wow! I can't believe another week has already flown by....It's crazy how time flies here at the MTC. But, it's been a good week as usual.

Ok, so  the news that ya'll have been waiting for.... I got my visa!!!! I'm flying out to Peru today! I leave from the Salt Lake airport at about 3 pm, and I arrive in Lima at 7 in the morning tomorrow....so I'm looking forward to a looooonnnngggg day. I'm also in charge of the travel group. I'm in charge of making sure 11 Elders and Sisters make it to Peru...freaky.  jajaja!

So, last week, we had a member of the 70 come speak to us, Elder W. Craig Zwick. What was really cool about him is that he served in the Northern Argentina Mission, and he served in what's now my mission!!! I got to talk to him afterwards, and he gave me his email so that I can tell him about my mission in Bolivia! I think that's pretty awesome.

Ok,  the rest of the week was just the usual sit in a classroom for 15 hours a day, for the most part. We had an awesome Sunday Devotional the other night. We had the BYU men's chorus come and sing to us,  which I thought was pretty cool. They did an awesome job. The fact that they're from BYU was disappointing, but oh well. jajajaja!

I also had the awesome opportunity to work in the Referral Center this past week.  The Referral Center is the place where the missionaries contact people after the people order things like a Book of Mormon from a pass-along card. It was really cool, and I didn't get hung up on!!! :D

So, that was my last week in the US!!!!!!!!! My next letter is probably going to be sometime next week, but I don't know when it'll be. So stay on your toes. And it'll be from Peru! :)

Mom- Don't worry, I'll probably call you from LAX. I have about a four hour layover there. It'll probably be around 5 or 6, and I'll call your cell phone, so turn your ringer on.

Dad- Hope the snow's treating you well. There's no snow left here, which is a bummer. I love you, and hope all is well.

Aly- Thanks for the present and letter!!!! That letter is pretty sweet! :)  I'm glad you hand-wrote me....but you'll have to email now. Love you!

Emi- Hey, hope school is going well. Don't forget to study and have fun!!!(And beat up any boy who flirts with you! :) )

Well, see you all in the US in less than two years!!!!

 

Elder Christian Craig