Christmas in Rosario

We. had. a. blast.

 

The fireworks, small presents, and members made my Christmas the best. The sun absolutely baked down on us the whole time, but we enjoyed every minute while celebrating the special time of year. I have tons of info and little time (like always), so I will try to cover the most interesting events. 

 

Christmas Brownies. Alright, while all of you enjoyed the special day, we were asked to hit the streets and try to share the special Christmas spirit with all--members and investigators alike. My companion and I came up with a good way to share it with some families in our area: Christmas caroling and gifts. We bought tons of flour, eggs, sugar, chocolate, butter, and basically all the good fatty stuff. haha. I have never made such a large amount of brownie batter all at once. After a couple hours of cooking with our frustrating oven that barely works, we had enough brownies for about five families. Actually, we probably had enough for six families, but we decided to eat some ourselves to celebrate! They tasted amazing, which is a miracle when you have missionaries in the kitchen. So we went over our Ward roster and selected some of our favorite and then went out to work, absolutely loaded down with plates full of brownies! I used my Santa hat, even though most people don´t use them here. What´s Christmas without a Santa hat? haha.

 

So we walked the streets in church clothes, singing along the way and giving a plate of brownies to these families. Even though I was thousands of miles away from my family, surrounded by severe summer humidity, and wearing a tie, I enjoyed this Christmas in a different way. You really don´t need that much for Christmas:). Honestly, I saw extremely happy families that day with humble circumstances who appreciate the simple blessings of the Lord. 

 

With Mirta Cascardo´s family, we sang two Christmas hymns while they all ate up the brownies. Due to the extended family and obvious festivities planned, we didn´t stay very long. However, we could see smiles on the faces of everyone, and I know we touched the hearts of those there who don´t know of the church. I hope Mirta and her husband can share the gospel with their extended family in the future, but everything has its due time and place. 

 

I know the Christmas goes far beyond the gifts, toys, and foods. I know it, you know it, and the Savior knows it, for whom we have the festivities in the first place! 

 

I have tons more to say, but we will have to wait till next week.

 

Hopefully you all had a great Christmas.

 

Elder Jones

 

P.S. I was just called to serve as a Zone Leader in San Nicolás! My apartment has air conditioning! There are only three or four in the whole mission!!!!!!! Santa treated me well, even though this last gift came a little late. haha.