Christmas and New Years

WHATS UP??!!!

Hey, so here`s that longer letter I promised…

So my Christmas was pretty cool.  On the 24th we went with the ward and sang in a
hospital nearby. I ended up playing the violin, haha which I haven’t done in like
2 years.  But it was cool to see the reactions of everybody when a bunch of Mormons
came stormin in with instruments and started singing Christmas carols.  That night
we ate dinner with the stake president and they gave us shirts and food to take home.
It was awesome!  Then the 3 other missionaries in my apartment and I took pics and
went to bed. But you need to understand something about Buenos Aires.  Christmas is
kind of different here.  In the states we always imagine Christmas eve as families
singing Christmas carols and little kids setting out milk and cookies for santa.
Haha here it was a city-wide party with fireworks, drinking, loud music, and asado
everywhere you look!  If I wasn´t a missionary, it would’ve been awesome!  Haha jk,
but yeah it was a crazy party the whole night while I was trying to sleep. The next
morning I opened a box from my fam and ate some pancakes with dulce de leche. Nothing
was open, and it was our p-day, so we just kinda hung out.  In the afternoon I went
back to the stake prez´s house and my family called!  It went by super quick, but
was way cool to talk to everyone.  I also watched some home videos my fam sent me.
We have a trampoline?!!  Either its new or I forgot because I didn´t remember having
one haha.  Also, my sister and dad wrote me some songs.  I'm super spoiled fo sho!
So the next day I was suuuper home sick!  I guess all the missionaries are like that,
but it was bad.  Then it wore off the next day.  For New year´s eve we worked the
whole day.  The 31st was also my companion´s birthday, so we ordered Argentine
Artesanal Ice Cream (delivered right to our door and like 10x better than Ben and
Jerry´s) toasted with non-alcoholic pinapple cider, and watched a few fireworks.
New Years was an even bigger party than Christmas outside haha. The next day in
the villa I kept thinking about the island in pirates of the carribean
(was it called tortuga?  I´m already forgetting stuff like that) because it was
exactly the same!  Watch Pirates of the Carribean and you´ll see exactly what I
saw haha.  But overall it was some good holidays.
I made a resolution that the 2 christmases on my mission would be the only 2
christmases away from my family in my life!

My companion and I had a way cool teaching experience this week (Dad, can you
translate the letter I sent to prez?)…  Note from Dad, we couldn't ever find 
that letter, but when we do, I'll translate and we'll post it!

Also, this morning we went to the wedding of Juan and Rosmery Camacho!  It was pretty
small and took like 10 minutes, but now Juan can get baptized this saturday…I´ll let
you know how that goes next week…stay tuned.  They are awesome.

Spiritual Thought:
This morning I was reading about the Atonement in Mark.  I looked at the map in the
scriptures (map 12) and realized that the temple in Jerusalem was right next to
the garden of Gethsemane. Perhaps when Christ was suffering for our sins, one of
the things that gave him the hope he needed to endure was the sight of the top of
the temple over the city walls.  Maybe he saw the families who would one day be
sealed together FOREVER in modern temples.  I don’t know if that’s true or not,
but I´m super grateful that my family has been sealed together forever by the power
of God.  And any family who hasn’t had this opportunity can do it.  So if you are
reading this and want to live with your family even after death do you part
(haha I just went to a marriage today), then join the church of Jesus Christ and
do it! In one year, the Camacho family is for sure gonna do it.

Well I love you guys and thanks for the packages and letters and stuff.  It really
does help. If you pray for me, please also pray for my investigators. And I love
it here, so you don´t have to worry. 
Anyway, talk to ya later! 
Ciao!