Feliz Navidad from Merida!

Merry Christmas from Hermana Lia and Hermana Torales!

Lia's apartment (until Friday)

Hola Familia,

I can’t tell you how excited I am to talk to you. Can you send me your Skype name (or multiple) so I can look for you on the member’s computer? If nothing else, we can Skype chat with instructions on how to call because I have no idea. 5:00 my time is better because we leave the house at 4:00.

Oh, family! I love you so much. I think about you multiple times a day, but only in a way of love, not distraction. This week we had a fast because we had 4 planned baptisms for Saturday and none were looking likely (more on that later), plus a bunch of other needs (our prayer roll). I also fasted for each one of you individually and I was the one to say the prayer for the two of us to start the fast and as I started praying for you all I just started bawling uncontrollably. It wasn't sad, I just love you more than I ever realized (missions and the atonement do that to you) and I want so badly for you all to feel the things I’m feeling and learn the things I’m learning. I want us to be a family centered 100% on Christ because that’s how we’ll be the loving, united family we want to be. I can’t wait to talk to you.

Hermana Torales has always wanted a scripture case,
so she and Lia traded a purse for the case.  Two happy chicas!

There are so many beautiful families here. I was walking down the calle yesterday and this man walks up to his house and this little kid screams 'Papa!' and runs out and hugs him and it's beautiful. And we picked up this family that we met next to a panaderia selling cookies, and they are so FUN. We still haven’t taught them because delays keep coming up, but every time we come back to teach them we meet a new family member who is also fantastically and uniquely awesome. They are all siblings with kids of their own.  And they tell us “we are a united family. It’s like every time we get together it’s a party, we don’t even need holidays.”   And they actually invited the missionaries to dinner. They don’t even know us! That never happens! I love families. Families are how to be happier than anything else, ya’ll. 

I love finding families that I think “Wow, this feels just like a Mormon home in the United States except they speak Spanish and drink horchata. Other than that, it feels exactly the same.”  I don’t know why it surprises me that other people are normal.  Can you guys send me The Living Christ?

   

OH!!!! I GOT YOUR LETTERS! I got two from Ava from the end of November, then two from mom last week also from the week after Thanksgiving, then one about Agee's temple trip (I was walking around the grocery store while I was reading it and smiling super huge. I must have looked like a dork). I also got a Christmas card from the Mechams (thank you for thinking of me!) that delivered in less than a month! Wow! And one from Kayla (thank you!).

The night I got the first round of letters from Ava and Mom, my happiness was so effervescent, I wanted to just run out in the street and throw confetti in the air. Hna Torales must think I’m so weird because I was just laughing the whole time I was reading them I was so happy. Thank you... :) No letter from Harlan. No packages (they're coming...!)

Mom asked me questions in her letter about Merida and mission life that I will answer next time! 

Love you,

Hna Ludlam